Cursed Eyes (Being Rewitten!)
by Yellow Yondaime
Summary: [Being rewritten under title Samsara Festival. That one’s better, trust me. Really, I still get favorites here for some reason. Samsara Festival is better and isn’t dead. Go try it out!]
1. My Eyes Have Awakened

Cursed Eyes 1

A/N: Hello, everyone. This fic will have pretty basic elements in it: single pairing, Rinne Sharingan Naruto, a little bit of AU mixed in.I'm thinking of a crossover sequel, but I'm not sure yet. I'm uploading this chapter, then starting another story which should have its first chapter published a little bit later on. That, I think, will be my main story. I don't know if I'll get back to Demon Angel King anytime soon, but I'm sure that there are DC fans who'd like to see more. For now, Naruto is my priority. See you soon.

Chapter I: My Eyes Have Awakened

Pathetic. Useless. Insolent. Brash. All of these are words that could be used to describe Uzumaki Naruto. He was so weak that he couldn't even save one person. This was evidenced by the raven-haired boy that he held in his arms. "Sasuke… why?" He wheezed out, tears streaming down his face. The duo was trapped inside a dome of mirrors made of ice. The caster of the jutsu was a fake hunter-nin working under Momochi Zabuza, the Kirigakure no Kaijin. Their missions had conflicted interests.

Blood patched on both boys' clothing; senbon stuck out of multiple puncture wounds in their bodies. The most gruesome, however, was one lodged directly into Sasuke's neck.

Sasuke put his arm on Naruto's shoulder and gripped, hard. "I… hated you…." Naruto sobbed.

"Then why?! Why save someone like me?! Why waste your life, dattebayo?!"

Sasuke chuckled. "Naruto…. I had an ambition. I wanted to kill my brother… for what he did to my clan…. But I failed. Don't let yourself die before you complete your dream…." With that, Sasuke's Sharingan eyes closed for the final time.

"You surely see now that your death is inevitable? Give up, or I will be forced to object you with the same fate as your friend," the fake hunter-nin suggested. Naruto's hair shadowed his eyes. Seeing this, the fake hunter-nin thought it wise to continue. "Just give up-"

"SHINRA TENSEI!" Naruto screamed.

The ice mirrors exploded, and Haku was sent careening to the group a few tens of yards away. Naruto looked up with hateful, malicious eyes. But that wasn't the only thing noticeable about them; no, the bigger issue was that his eyes now had purple rings surrounding his pupil.

When the fake hunter-nin looked up through his cracked mask, his eyes widened in shock. "What kind of dojutsu is that?" He thought as the blonde stood to his feet. Naruto held out his left hand, "Banshou Ten'in!"

The fake hunter-nin suddenly came flying towards Naruto, who met him halfway, delivering a devastating haymaker straight into the faux-hunter-nin's face, effectively breaking the mask. The person who was behind the mask shocked Naruto. "Ha-Haku…?" Naruto stuttered.

Haku looked at Naruto with an unreadable expression. "Yes, Naruto. It's me. And now that you know who I am, can you do me a favor?" He asked.

"What?" Naruto asked incredulously. "Why should I do any favors for the person who killed my friend?" Haku looked at the ground. "Because you might like the favor I ask. I want you to kill me."

_Cursed Eyes_

Hatake Kakashi was engaging Momochi Zabuza a little bit further along the bridge. The two were locked in a fierce kenjutsu battle, with Kakashi using a kunai, and Zabuza using his Kubikiribocho. After a particularly vicious bout, Zabuza managed to lightly cut kakashi's back. Kakashi flipped away.

"You see now, Kakashi?" Zabuza taunted, "I'm the superior opponent here. Now give up and let me kill the bridge builder already, or I'll be forced to kill you and your genin."

Kakashi's eyes hardened. "I can't allow that, now can I? Kuchiyose no Jutsu!" Zabuza didn't know exactly what Kakashi had planned, but he didn't want to find out either. Before he could do anything, he cried out in pain. Kakashi smirked. "Fanged Pursuit Jutsu success. You know, Zabuza…"

Zabuza was shocked that he was caught so easily, while using his most effective technique at that. "You say that I can only copy jutsu from others using my Sharingan. That's not true." Kakashi went through a quick string of hand seals. "I'll show you my only original technique. Raikiri!"

_Cursed Eyes_

Naruto's eyes hardened. "Why would you want me to kill you? Is it because you lost?" He asked. Haku nodded solemnly. "Zabuza-sama will have no use for me now that I have lost. I am no longer a razor-sharp tool, but one with a dulled edge." Naruto growled.

"Don't say things like that dattebayo! You're no one's tool; you're your own person!" Haku chuckled with little humor.

"I once had a family. A mother and a father. We lived in a little town in Mizu no Kuni. Everything was fine for the first few years, and we were happy. But then, something terrible happened.

"I showed the ability to use my kekkei genkai." Naruto looked at Haku in confusion.

"What's a kekkei genkai?"

"A kekkei genkai, or bloodline trait, is an ability passed down through heritage. It is unique to the family who possesses it. We both possess kekkei genkai; my hyoton, and your dojutsu." Haku explained. Naruto's eyes widened.

"I have a kekkei genkai? Wait, that means I have an ability like Sasuke!"

Haku nodded. "You may have noticed that your vision has changed." Naruto rubbed his chin in thought.

"Yeah, I noticed that everything's a lot more… clear. It's so detailed now."

"That is because your kekkei genkai has already awakened. Now, let me continue my story. When my mother saw my kekkei genkai, she slapped me and told me to never use it again. But it was too late. My father saw the interaction, and butchered my mother. Then he came after me. Fortunately, I was able to kill him with my hyoton abilities.

"You see, in Kirigakure and surrounding nations, there was a bloodline purge. People with kekkei genkai were being killed just because of something they were born with, and unable to control. Heroes of war that used their bloodlines to fight for Kirigakure were betrayed and slaughtered. I and my mother were no exceptions.

"But then, Zabuza-sama found me. He saw usefulness in me and told me that he would take care of me when I needed it the most. In return, I became his weapon; a tool that he uses when he sees fits, and discards of upon his own accord. He is my master. And I have failed him.

"So please, Naruto… end my suffering." Haku had looked so weak and pathetic in that moment that Naruto felt like a bastard for even considering that. But, the least he could do is honor the wish of his fallen opponent.

"...If you insist." Naruto said stiffly. He pointed his palm at Haku, who then looked further along the bridge, his eyes widening.

"On second thought, Naruto, there is one more way I can make myself useful to my master." Naruto narrowed his eyes, and Haku disappeared.

When Naruto saw what Haku was about to do, it was too late to stop him. Naruto could only hang his head. Haku had used the Shunshin no Jutsu to intercept Kakashi's Raikiri, which pierced Haku through the chest. Kakashi's eyes widened in shock.

Blood spilled from Haku's mouth. "Za-Zabuza...sama…" was his last word. Zabuza smiled sadly.

"Thanks for the save, Haku…"

Clapping resounded from farther along the bridge. Standing at the end of it was Gato himself, along with his army of thugs. "Good job, Konoha ninja. Momochi was getting too expensive. Now we'll just kill the lot of you ninja and the bridge builder. Two birds with one stone, as they say." He started laughing.

"And Zabuza, how pitiful can you get? Demon of the Hidden Mist? More like kitten! Meow, motherfucker! HAHAHAHA! Get them!" Gato's men charged.

"Kakashi, it seems as if we have a common enemy now. Let me go, and I'll offer my assistance." Zabuza said. Kakashi nodded and snapped his fingers. His summons disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Naruto ran to meet Kakashi and Zabuza, creating some Kage Bunshin in the process. "Whoa, what the hell?" He said, immediately dispelling the clones.

"What's wrong, Naruto? Wait, what the hell is wrong with your eyes?" Kakashi asked with his own eyes widened.

Naruto grinned. "I've got a dojutsu!" Kakashi was shocked. "What about Sasuke?"

Naruto's mood instantly changed. "He's dead." Naruto's words hit Kakashi like a fist to the gut.

"Oh-Okay… we'll bury him after this, just help me take on these bandits." Kakashi said. Naruto nodded and jumped into a group of the bullies.

"Let's see how you like being pushed around dattebayo! SHINRA TENSEI!"

Ten of the assailants were thrown in different directions. Naruto began punching and kicking the surrounding enemy, his strength, speed, and reaction time increased because of his new dojutsu. He took out his rage on the unfortunate mercenaries until they were nothing but bloody piles of flesh on the ground. Blood coated Naruto's face. He looked over at Zabuza, who was making his way towards a pleading Gato. "You don't have to do this. I'll double your pay; no, I'll triple it! Anything! Just don't kill me-" he was silenced by the kunai in Zabuza's mouth. Zabuza then proceeded to fall to the ground, dead.

_Cursed Eyes_

Sakura was crying over Sasuke's prone body. "Sasuke-kun… Sasuke-kun… why?!" She kept repeating over and over. Suddenly, Sasuke's eyes shot open, revealing his one tomoe Sharingan. "Sa-Sakura? Wait… I'm not dead?" He asked, confused. Sakura smiled brightly through her tears.

"You're alive, Sasuke-kun! I thought Naruto-baka had gotten you killed!"

Sasuke glared. "I sacrificed myself for him. I did it through my own will. So don't go talking bad about the person that I saved, even if I'm not dead." Sakura hung her head from not getting ideal attention from her crush.

_Cursed Eyes_

"They didn't deserve to die like this…" Naruto said, gritting his teeth. Kakashi put a hand on Naruto's shoulder.

"Even if that's true, there's nothing we can do about it now. Let's go." Kakashi began to walk over to Sakura. But Naruto had other ideas.

Images flashed through his mind; hand seals, a jutsu. He went through the hand seals and called out, "Gedo: Rinne Tensei no Jutsu!"

Suddenly, life returned to Zabuza and Haku. They sat up, looking confused. Kakashi looked at the scene in disbelief. "Naruto… you can bring people back to life?!" He asked.

Naruto looked equally surprised. "I-I guess…" he panted, having lost considerable chakra from the endeavor. Kakashi's lone eye (having deactivated his Sharingan) narrowed.

"That's too much power for a kid to have. His Rinnegan will attract a lot more attention than he'll need." He thought. "Naruto, deactivate your Rinnegan. Don't use it again until I say so or you really need to."

Naruto was confused. "The hell's a Rinnegan?" He asked.

"I meant your dojutsu. It's name is the Rinnegan. I'll explain more about it when we get back to Konoha." Kakashi said. Naruto did as he was told, and Kakashi looked at Zabuza.

"Zabuza, take the money you need for the coup d'etat from Gato's stash and leave the rest for Nami no Kuni." Kakashi said. Zabuza's eyes widened.

"You knew… the whole time, you knew. That's why you didn't fight me at full power." he accused.

Kakashi eye-smiled. "As the old saying goes- know thy enemy. You have Naruto to thank for the return of your lives."

Zabuza looked at Naruto, who scratched his head sheepishly. "I couldn't help myself. How does it feel?"

"I don't believe that a midget like him could've done something like that," Zabuza said.

Naruto shook his fist. "Oi! I ain't no midget! I just haven't hit my growth spurt yet! And of course I can bring people back to life; I'm the super-awesome mega-ninja future-Hokage-sama!" he bellowed, causing all three of the other ninja to sweatdrop.

"Exactly why I don't think you revived us."

_Cursed Eyes_

[Two weeks later]

Naruto's team and Zabuza had went their separate ways after the battle. Tazuna finished the bridge, and Kakashi grilled Naruto and Sasuke on what happened.

[Flashback- two weeks ago]

"Okay, you two. Tell me everything. How did Naruto awaken such a powerful tool?" Kakashi asked.

"I was nearly dead, Kakashi. How could I have seen it?" Sasuke countered.

Kakashi turned his attention to Naruto, who was picking his ear. "Naruto? What happened?"

Naruto looked at Kakashi. "After Haku fake-killed Sasuke, I lost it. My dojutsu activated, and I did this: Shinra Tensei!"

Kakashi and Sasuke were sent flying a few feet. "That's a pretty useful power. Can you do anything else? I'm sure that isn't the limit of the legendary Rinnegan." Kakashi said.

Naruto smirked and held out his right palm. "Banshou Ten'in!" Kakashi was immediately pulled towards Naruto, all the while screaming in terror.

"STOP IT!" Naruto snickered and cancelled the jutsu, causing Kakashi to fall on his face.

When Kakashi stood up, he glared at Naruto. "Never do that again. Anything else? I know that you apparently have the ability to raise the dead as well But I want you to wait a while before attempting that again." Naruto scratched his head.

"Err, I don't think I can do anything else. That better not be all I can do, dattebayo!"

Sasuke smirked. "A dojutsu like that still doesn't compare to my Sharingan, dobe." Naruto scowled.

"Oi, teme, did you forget that I can raise the dead? Something else I figured: if I can repel and attract, which are opposites, then since I can reanimate, shouldn't I have the opposite of that, too?" Kakashi and Sasuke blinked.

"Well, that makes sense, actually. Never thought that I'd hear you saying something sensible, Naruto." Naruto grinned stupidly.

"What else could you expect from the best?"

[Present Day]

Kakashi decided to wait until they returned to Konoha before starting Naruto's Rinnegan training. But he did, however, do something for the group so that he could contemplate what would be best to teach them.

"What the Hell are we supposed to do with these?" Sasuke asked, holding a small slip of paper. Sakura wracked her brain for an answer.

"I know what these are!" she said, "These are chakra-conductive papers. If you channel your chakra into them, it shows you what your elemental affinity is."

Naruto was completely lost, as evidenced by the look on his face. "Ele-what now?" was his intelligent response. Everyone else face-palmed.

"Naruto, your elemental affinity shows what chakra nature you can work with best." Naruto's face held onto it's blank look. Kakashi sighed. "Okay, you do know what nature transformation is, right?"

"Umm… yes?" Naruto said, is a vain attempt to save face.

"You have no clue, do you, Naruto?" Sakura asked. Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "You got me…"

Kakashi rubbed his temples. "Okay, Naruto, listen for Kami's sake. Nature transformation is the changing of chakra into an element. The five basic elements, one of which you have an affinity to, are water, fire, wind, lightning, and earth. Each element has another element that it is strong against and susceptible to. If you channel your chakra into the paper, you'll know your affinity. If it gets wet, it's water; if it ignites, fire; if it splits in half, wind; if it crumples into a ball, lightning; and if it dissolves into dust, earth. Go ahead, give it a try."

Naruto looked as if he understood at least part of what Kakashi said. He nodded and channeled chakra. Amazingly, the paper split into 4 parts. Then, each part did it's own thing: one ignited, one soaked, one crumpled, and the final piece turned to dust.

Each member of the team stared at the paper in silence. "Nani…? NANI?!" Naruto yelled. "Th-this is unheard of…" Kakashi stuttered in shock. 'SEE! SEE! I TOLD YOU I'M A SUPER NINJA, DATTEBAYO! I TOLD YOU!" Naruto yelled.

Sakura smacked him over the head. "Quiet, baka! My turn…" Sakura's paper burned up.

"Fire. That's common in Hi no Kuni," Kakashi commented. "Sasuke, if you would…" Kakashi prompted.

Sasuke's paper crumpled into a ball. "What the…? Lightning?" he said, confused.

"Weird; I was expecting it to be fire, you being an Uchiha and all…." Kakashi said. "Oh well. I have an arsenal of very powerful raiton ninjutsu. It's a good thing you have the Sharingan, because my most powerful raiton jutsu requires it." Sasuke smirked at the thought of learning an elite Jounin's most powerful jutsu.

"Ano… since I have the Rinnegan, do you think I'll be able to learn that raiton jutsu? Since I have an affinity for all the elements, and all of this chakra, I can be a jutsu powerhouse, right?!" Naruto asked.

Kakashi chuckled. "Naruto, with eyes like those, anything is possible."

A/N: Okay people, that wraps up the prologue of Cursed Eyes! I hope this story is received well by my audience (if I even have one…), and I'm open to any suggestions. Like I said, the story is going to be NaruSamu, and there's no changing that. Also, I don't know what I'm going to do about the Akatsuki yet… what I mean by that is if I'm going to power them up or not. Oh well, I'll cross that bridge when I come to it. Also, if anyone has any ideas for a Naruto story, I'm open to it.

For my next update, I'll either upload another chapter of this, or one of the other two stories I plan on starting. Probably this one, because I have a general idea of where I'm going for the next few arcs. With that, I have to go. Time to start writing again… Ja Ne!

(Update: Reformatted the chapter, because apparently I was making an incredibly dumb flaw with every sentence.)


	2. My New Training Begins

**A/N: Hello, everyone. It's been awhile since my last update, and I've gotten amazing responses from you guys! Thank you so much; I never thought I was capable of receiving such love! You guys are great. To answer some questions:**

 **OutofReality08: Good question. I simply want Naruto to act as he does in canon until he matures, which will happen. I know that this Naruto annoys most people, but it's unrealistic for him to suddenly act differently. Patience is a virtue, trust me.**

 **A Friendly Guest: I hadn't planned on it, but I guess I could incorporate lemons into this story. Can't say how good they'll be, though.**

 **GodX: I hate Naruto when he's annoying as well, but you have to remember that he's still a kid, and no one has taught him any different. But don't worry; I wouldn't be writing his character like that without reason.**

 **bankai777: I didn't like the way the Kumo group was introduced in canon, so most likely.**

 **JJP123: That's interesting…. Yeah, I've got an idea for that now. Thanks!**

 **My thanks to everyone who has shown support for this story!**

 **Cursed Eyes 2**

"...And that about wraps up what happened, Hokage-sama," Kakashi said, looking his leader in the eye. To say that Hiruzen Sarutobi was shocked was an understatement. "Naruto-kun, would you allow me to see your eyes for a moment? I'm curious." Hiruzen requested. Naruto nodded, and his eyes shifted to the legendary Rinnegan. The glowing eyes took Hiruzen's breath away. "They're beautiful… Naruto, you must understand something.

"Those eyes of yours will attract very powerful enemies. You will need to utilize their full combat prowess to overcome the obstacles that ail you and our beloved village. Do you understand me?" Hiruzen spoke in a commanding voice.

Surprisingly, all traces of the goof that is Naruto's personality left him. "Understood, Hokage-sama. I will become strong enough to capture, debilitate, or eradicate any enemy ninja that threatens Konohagakure and Hi no Kuni. And I never go back on my word, dattebayo." Team 7 and the Hokage were shocked at Naruto's mature attitude.

"You'll make a fine shinobi, Naruto. Dismissed, except Kakashi." Hiruzen said. "Remember, we have a team meeting tomorrow," Kakashi reminded. "Hai, sensei," they each responded.

As the genin dispersed, Kakashi and Hiruzen began their conversation. "Kakashi, you understand the importance of training him don't you?" Hiruzen asked. Kakashi nodded his head. "I'll teach him every art of the shinobi spectrum. No avenue will be left undeveloped." he assured.

Hiruzen smiled. "Good. Also, I believe Jiraiya will be taking over his training sometime soon. Jiraiya told me that he encountered the Rinnegan once before, in Ame no Kuni." Kakashi's eyes widened. "So that means, Jiraiya-sama will be able to handle his training, right?" "Yes. Also, when he makes chunin, I will give him his inheritance."

Kakashi was confused. "What do you mean, 'inheritance'?" "Your sensei is Naruto's father." Hiruzen said. "Wait, so does that mean Minato-sensei had the Rinnegan, as well?" Kakashi asked. "It's possible, but more likely that his mother had it. Jiraiya's student had _red hair_ , after all." Kakashi nodded. "Another Uzumaki, then. Anything else?" "No, you're dismissed." Kakashi bowed and disappeared in a pile of leaves.

_Cursed Eyes_

Naruto was at his favorite place: Ichiraku Ramen Bar. He was enjoying his eighth bowl of the noodle-based soup, chatting away with Ayame and Teuchi.

"So, did anything interesting happen on your mission, Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked, face resting in her palms. "Actually, yeah! It was supposed to be a C-Ranked escort mission, but we encountered two B-Ranked missing nins, one A-Rank, and another that had a rare Kekkei Genkai!" Ayame and Teuchi gasped. "And you fought them? Are you alright, Naruto-kun?" Ayame asked. Naruto grinned.

"Don't worry about me, Ayame-nee-chan! No one can take out the future Hokage!"

"Well, did anything else happen?" Teuchi asked. Naruto nodded. "Yeah, I awakened my Kekkei Genkai." he said, switching his Rinnegan on. Ayame 'oohed' and Teuchi grinned. "Who would've thought that you'd get a kekkei genkai? What does it do?" he said.

"I can manipulate gravity, and I'm still trying to figure out what else I can do with it," Naruto said, not wanting to say that he can bring the dead back to life. Ayame had a big smile on her face. "My little Naruto-kun is growing up! There's no way you won't be Hokage now!" she encouraged. Naruto grinned. "Amen to that."

_Cursed Eyes_

The next day, Team Seven was assembled at their training grounds. "Okay, guys; it's time to really begin training. You're not a normal Genin team, so I'm not going to train you like Genin." Kakashi explained. Naruto looked excited, while Sasuke seemed anxious to begin, and Sakura looked worried. "Saa… let's start with Sakura, since you need the most work." Kakashi pointed.

"Okay, you have great chakra control, but low reserves. That makes you the perfect genjutsu specialist, but I suppose you could become a medic as well. It's up to you." While Sakura thought over her options, Kakashi turned to Sasuke. "Sasuke, I want you to copy this jutsu." Sasuke activated his Sharingan, and Kakashi blurred through hand seals and said, " **Raikiri!"** His signature jutsu lit his hand blue. Sasuke grinned, and performed the jutsu himself, though his looked and sounded different. It sounded like… "I may have to rename your jutsu, Kakashi. How about… **Chidori**?" Kakashi eye smiled at the name. "Rather fitting. Practice moulding the chakra necessary for that jutsu for a while, then I'll teach you something else. Naruto..."

Naruto nodded vigorously, obviously ready to train hard and long. "...Go stand on top of that water without getting wet."

"...Eh…? EEEEEEH? That's it!?" Naruto asked disbelievingly. Kakashi nodded. "You have terrible chakra control. If you want to do a jutsu, you need to work on it. Here's a tip: have as many Kage Bunshin as you can do it with you."

Naruto sighed dejectedly and walked over to the pond. He took off his shirt and made eighty shadow clones. They all jumped into the water with a cry, intent on getting the assignment done. Kakashi turned back to Sakura. "Have you decided?"

Sakura hummed in thought. "Medical Ninjutsu takes time and dedication. I need to be able to support my teammates as soon as possible. I never want to be as useless as I was in Wave again… I choose to be a Genjutsu Specialist." she said with the Will of Fire burning in her eyes. Kakashi smiled then. "OKay; because you already fit the criteria to begin with, we can just start you off with a jutsu. How about the Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu?"

_Cursed Eyes_

It had been about two months since Team Seven began training in earnest. Sasuke could now perform the Chidori three times, and knew two lightning jutsu besides that: Raiton: Gian, and Raiton: Jibashi. He was working on performing the Chidori with no hand seals.

Sakura had learned Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu, then began working on her Taijutsu. Kakashi had wanted to surprise opponents who thought that just because Sakura was a female Genjutsu user, she wouldn't be able to handle herself in a brawl. With the insane conditioning that Kakashi put her under, she quickly became about high-Genin level in pure taijutsu.

Naruto had evolved quickly, bringing one jutsu from each element under his belt, as well as three total fuuton jutsu. He learned Suiton: Suijinheki; Doton: Shinju Zanshu no Jutsu; Katon: Housenka no Jutsu; Raiton: Shunshin; Fuuton: Daitoppa; Fuuton: Reppushou; and Fuuton: Juha Reppushou. Naruto had also discovered another of his dojutsu abilities, or paths: the Asura Path. Naruto couldn't yet fully utilize the path, but he was able to fire his arms as projectiles, the fire concentrated chakra beams from the remainder. It was a useful ability to have, and it cost him little to no chakra.

Another thing the team did collectively was physically train. Everyone was set at their own pace, but it quickly became clear that it was a contest to Naruto and Sasuke; and thus, they began to rapidly increase their weights, running laps and doing push-ups until they collapsed. One day, when the Team met up, Kakashi handed them each a slip of paper. "What're these for, Kakashi-sensei?" Naruto asked. Kakashi eye-smiled at them. "Congratulations, you three! I hereby nominate you all for the Chuunin Exams."

 **A/N: I know this one was a little short, but I wanted to end it quickly because it's been so long since I've updated. Rest assured that now that I've gotten to the Chuunin Exams Arc, the story AND the update pace will pick up. I'll have the next chapter out soon. Until then, my faithful readers!**


	3. I Begin my Chuunin Examinations

**A/N: It is now officially time time for the Chuunin Exams Arc. You're in for a bit of a surprise this chapter, I assure you. I just want to thank everyone for all of the positive feedback, and I hope you continue to enjoy this story. Also, I want to note another thing: for those of you who have suggestions and/or want to know about Naruto's future powers, it would kinda ruin the story if you already knew exactly what was going to happen about 30 chapters before it happened, right? Ergo, I won't reveal much until probably after the timeskip. Also, to lengthen the story, I'll probably do a bit of my own original arcs, maybe add in some NaruSamu in there. But before I talk a little too much, I'm just going to start the chapter. See you soon.**

Naruto already knew what his decision would be. He'd make Chuunin on his first try. He was by no means a Genin-level ninja. Oh no; he was only a Genin in name, as was the rest of his team. Even Sakura had improved to the point where she could handle herself in a fight. And Sasuke- oh boy, Sasuke- he had become a monster in his own right. Naruto knew that even with his Rinnegan, Sasuke was a tough opponent. Now when Naruto used his Deva Path, Sasuke stood no chance. However, if Naruto used his Asura Path, Sasuke could dodge easily. His jutsu were likewise avoided.

As Naruto contemplated his team's effectiveness, he bumped into someone with an 'Oof!'.

Before he could stand up and apologize, a rough hand grabbed him by his tracksuit collar and pulled him to his feet, lifting him into the air. "O-oi!" Naruto said in surprise, not expecting something so aggressive.

Naruto looked at the three people before him. There was a short kid with a large gourd on his back and red hair, who looked like he hadn't slept a day in his life. Then there was a blonde girl, noticeably taller than the short the one, with a war fan strapped to her back. Finally was the one manhandling him; he had a bundle on his back, a black hooded one-piece, and… makeup?

"Let me go, _now_." Naruto spat coldly. This was eerily similar to how he was treated as a child- he would tolerate none of it. The older kid scowled. "No way! How can you just bump into someone without even apologizing? I need to teach you some manners."

The girl sighed. "C'mon, Kankuro, we don't have time for this. You're gonna get us in trouble!" Kankuro shook his head. "I don't think so, Temari. This brat needs to learn to respect his elders."

Naruto had heard enough. He activated his Rinnegan (but hid it with a Genjutsu that Kakashi had taught him) and said, " **Asura Path."** Naruto pointed his closed fist at Kankuro's face, and his arm flew off with concussive force. It sent Kankuro about twenty feet away.

Temari looked shocked as Naruto's hand returned to it's proper place, and the red headed kid had a maniacal grin on his face. "What is your name?" he asked. Naruto looked at him worriedly. "Uzumaki Naruto, dattebayo. And yours?" Naruto responded.

"My name is Sabaku no Gaara. Mother will enjoy me spilling your blood. I hope you are in the exams, Uzumaki." Gaara turned to Kankuro. He glared coldly. "Kankuro, you are a disgrace to our village. If you embarrass me while we're here, I'll kill you." Kankuro and Temari were sweating. "O-okay, Gaara. I understand."

As the group walked away, Naruto deactivated his Rinnegan and started walking again. He had to meet up with his team in two hours.

_Cursed Eyes_

Naruto was walking towards the Academy for the Chuunin Exams. He had everything he could possibly need; kunai, shuriken, explosive tags, rations, and ration bars. All of it was sealed into sealing scrolls, which were kept in a bag on his back. As he continued, he felt a tap on his shoulder.

He turned to see what seemed to be a team of Kumo Genin. There were two dark skinned ones and a blond, blue eyed one. The dark skinned ones had swords. "Umm, can I help you?" Naruto asked. The blond one, whom Naruto took as the leader, answered. "Yes, if you're willing. My name is Samui, and this is Karui and Omoi. Could you please point us towards the Ninja Academy? We're here for the Chuunin Examinations. It'd be really cool of you."

Naruto smiled. "Oh, I'm headed there myself, dattebayo. Come on, I'll show you the way." He noticed the skeptical look that Karui gave him, but Omoi was just downright weird with what he said: "Are you sure it's a good idea to follow him, Samui? He might lead us into an ambush set by Konoha ninja and hold us ransom as revenge for the death of that Hyuuga Clan member years ago."

Naruto rose an eyebrow. "What?" he asked, drawing a blank. Karui growled and punched Omoi over the back of his head. "Shut up! You can't just go off saying anything you like!" Omoi rubbed his head, cowering. "Sorry, Karui…" Samui sighed. "So uncool, Omoi. Ready when you are, Konoha Ninja." "Just call me Naruto, Samui-chan, dattebayo!" Naruto said with a grin. He then hopped onto a nearby roof and begin to run, followed by Team Samui.

Samui kept pace with Naruto. "You seem like you could handle yourself in a fight. How long have you been a genin?" she asked. Naruto smirked. "Three months. Not bad, huh?" Samui was surprised. "I've been a Genin for about a year and a half. You must be powerful to be taking the Chuunin Exams at your age."

Naruto's smirk never left his face; it only got wider. "At least someone acknowledges my expertise. I _am_ the future Hokage." Samui smiled lightly. "I'd pay to see that." Naruto looked hurt. "You don't think I could do it? I'm offended, Samui-chan." "We'll see what you're made of in the exams, Naruto-san." Samui said.

Karui was behind them, scowling slightly. She whispered to Omoi, "Can you believe that she's actually conversing with a Konoha Ninja? It's disgraceful." Omoi shivered, his eyes wide. "What if she becomes romantically attached to him and defects to Konoha? That could cause the Fourth Shinobi World War, and _that_ could destroy Rai no Kuni! It might bring the end of the Shinobi system!"

Karui smashed Omoi over the head with a tic mark on her forehead. "Obviously, that won't happen. But still; a Kumo kunoichi and a Konoha Shinobi getting along? That doesn't even sound right…" Karui said, suspicious. "Maybe you're jealous of the male attention that Samui is getting?" Omoi suggested. Karui turned on him with a death glare. "Are you implying that I'm unattractive?" she asked. Omoi began sweating. "Nuh-Not at all, Karui! Forget what I said!" he said. Karui huffed and turned around. "Good."

Soon enough, the group had landed right outside the Academy. Sasuke and Sakura stared with wide eyes as they approached. "Naruto, why are you with Kumo Ninja?" Sakura asked.

"I was just being my usual gentlemanly self, and showing them the way to the academy." Naruto said. Sakura rolled her eyes. Sasuke began walking inside. "It doesn't matter. Let's go." Sakura quickly followed after her crush, while Naruto turned back to the Kumo team. "Well, I guess when I see you again we'll be opponents." Naruto said. Samui nodded. "It seems that way. Thank you for leading us here, Naruto-san." She then elbowed both of her teammates, who mumbled their thanks. Naruto gave a grin. "No problem! Well, guess I'll see ya when I see ya, dattebayo!" Naruto disappeared in a raiton shunshin.

"Oh? So he wasn't kidding about his abilities. To see a Konoha nin using a raiton shunshin is rare; especially a Genin." Samui pointed out. "That's rather cool." "Are you interested in him?" Omoi asked. "Let's watch out for that team. Someone like him, as well as an Uchiha- that's a problem. That problem is uncool." She said, walking into the building.

_Cursed Eyes_

Team Seven walked through the halls of the Academy. "Kakashi said that the exams take place on the third floor, so that's where we're headed," Sasuke commanded. Naruto made a sour face. "Who made you the leader, dattebayo?" he asked. Sasuke looked at him dryly. "Do _you_ want to make all the logical decisions, Naruto?" Naruto smiled stupidly. "Nope!" Sasuke smirked. "I didn't think so. Now follow me."

They climbed the stairs and came to a room that everyone seemed to be standing outside of. It appeared that there were two Genin blocking the way inside. A bowl-haired genin in a green spandex suit yelled, "Please let us through!"

He was shoved back by one of the Genin. "No way! You're not ready for this kind of test. Just come back next year!"

Sakura whispered to her teammates, "Genjutsu. We're still on the second floor." Sasuke flipped on his Sharingan. "You're right; good work, Sakura. Let's go." Sakura beamed at her crush's praise.

Naruto's Rinnegan, while powerful, couldn't detect the use of chakra. He scowled at the thought that the Sharingan could do other things that his Rinnegan couldn't. 'Why do people praise these so much if I can only do certain things with them, dattebayo?!' Naruto thought, frustrated. He kept his thoughts to himself, though, and continued walking.

"Hold up!" a voice called, halting Team Seven. It was the bowl haired boy. "What do you want?" Sasuke asked impatiently. Immediately, the boy was in front of them, displaying shocking speed. The speed that he showed made Naruto act on instinct: " **Shinra Tensei!"** the boy flew into the nearby wall, dazed.

Sakura bonked Naruto on the head. "You idiot! You could've hurt him! And he's a Konoha nin!" Naruto quickly started walking in the other direction. "We didn't see anything, okay?" Sakura sweatdropped and caught up, followed by Sasuke.

Outside of the real classroom, Kakashi appeared in a puff of smoke, still reading his book. "Well, I'm glad you all decided to come, because if not, then none of you would've been allowed to participate," Kakashi said. The trio widened their eyes. "Why didn't you tell us that before, dattebayo?!" Kakashi eye smiled. "Because I knew that you'd all participate. Well, after this point, it's up to you. Watch out for eachother. You're a team; a unit. That means you protect one another and work together. I'm sure that once you complete the exam, you'll have a lot more respect for one another. Well then, Ja ne~!" Kakashi disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Team Seven walked forward and entered the classroom. They were immediately met with vicious waves of killing intent, which only made Sakura sweat slightly. Sasuke scoffed at the attempt to frighten them. "Like these weaklings could ever scare me. I'm an Uchiha; that is beneath me." Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're not the only one with a dojutsu; remember that, dattebayo." Naruto chided.

"Sasuke-kun, you made it!" Ino Yamanaka yelled, jumping onto his back. Sasuke gained a tick mark on his head. "Get off of me." Sakura scowled at Ino. "Get away from him, Ino-pig!" Ino and Sakura then began their petty arguing, and Sasuke took the time to stand next to Naruto. "I'm thinking of getting a restraining order," Sasuke said honestly. Naruto deadpanned. "What would that solve? You know it won't stop them." Sasuke sighed, knowing he was correct.

"Hey, it looks like we're all here!" Kiba Inuzuka yelled rather loudly, as Team Eight walked up to join the others. Shikamaru rubbed his head. "You're here too? How troublesome…" Choji kept munching on his chips. Shino greeted his fellow rookies. "It's nice to see you all again."

"It's nice to see you, too, Shino! It's been a while! And Kiba, you look like you've gotten stronger. Not strong enough to beat me, but maybe enough to amuse me." Naruto said with fake arrogance. Kiba grinned. "Watch your mouth, dead-last. You've never beaten me in a fight, and you never will." Hinata walked up to Naruto then and said, "A-ano… hello, Naruto-kun... ".

"Oh, hey, Hinata! It's good to see that you're a Genin. I bet you've done some super-cool missions and defeated all types of bad guys, right?" Naruto said. Hinata blushed. "R-right…" she said. Before anyone could say anything else, someone else spoke up: "Keep it down!"

The rookies turned to see a grey-haired, glasses-wearing man. "You're the rookies, right? I'm Kabuto. You're not making a very good impression." It was true; looking around, the group could see that every other genin was glaring at them."Let me give you a heads-up: these exams are anything but a joke. I've taken these exams seven times, and I still haven't passed."

Naruto grinned cockily. "That says more about you than the exams. There's no way _anyone_ can fail that many times and still be a good ninja. Unlike me; I'm gonna pass on my first try!" The guy smiled. "You won't say that once the real tests begin. Anyway, since you're new here, I thought I might give you a bit of help. I have these 'Ninja Info Cards' that I've got information saved on about almost every genin participating. Anyone you want specs on?"

Naruto turned serious. "Sabaku no Gaara and Samui of Kumo." Everyone was surprised to see to see that Naruto was actually gathering information. Kabuto looked at his cards. "Let's see… Sabaku no Gaara. He's completed thirty-seven C-Ranks and two A-Ranks! And, he's never even been scratched on a mission." Kabuto let that sink in. Many Genin were regretting joining the exams this year. "Man, that guy sounds troublesome. And you've met this guy before, Naruto?" Shikamaru said. Naruto scoffed. "I can take him. Now Samui."

"Okay. Samui is from Kumogakure. She specializes in kenjutsu and raiton ninjutsu. She's completed twenty-two C-Ranks and three B-Ranks. She graduated top of her class in the academy." Kabuto said. "You know, if you wanted information on me, you could've just asked." a voice spoke. Everyone turned to see Samui, Karui, and Omoi. "Oh, hey, Samui-chan! You know how it is… just scoping out the competition, that's all, dattebayo!" Samui rolled her eyes.

"That's cool, I don't think that knowing about me is enough to defeat me. I'm a Cloud Kunoichi, after all." she said. Naruto nodded and turned back to Kabuto. "Anything else we should know?"

"Well, that's pretty much all the heavy hitters you may encounter. Iwa's not in the exams, as expected; Ame may be a threat, but I wouldn't worry about Oto. They're a relatively new village, so they shouldn't be too much trouble to deal with." Just as he said that, an Oto genin that looked much like a mummy appeared in front of Kabuto. Before anything could happen, Naruto and Sasuke were in front of him, kunai poised at his throat and heart.

Before words could be spoken, a puff of smoke entered the classroom at the front desk. "PUT THE WEAPONS DOWN, BRATS! NO ONE KILLS ANYONE UNLESS I SAY SO!" Naruto and Sasuke reluctantly sheathed their weapons. The Sound nin gulped and shunshined back to his group.

"Okay, you miserable excuses of shinobi- it's time for the first test. My name is Morino Ibiki, proctor of the first exam. Come up here, single file, and get your seat numbers and quizlets. Make it snappy, pisspots!" Ibiki said. Naruto groaned. 'Not a freakin' written test!' Sakura and Sasuke glared at Naruto. "You'd better pass the test Naruto, or I'll hurt you." Sakura threatened. Naruto shivered in fear. Everyone got in line.

Naruto ended up seated next to Hinata. He gave her a smile and looked at his test. 'Impossible…' he thought. He turned back to Ibiki, who began speaking again. "Here are the rules for the first test: there are ten questions, and each chuunin-candidate starts with a perfect score of ten points. You will take the first nine questions now, and the tenth will be given once the first 45 minutes of the test have elapsed. If you are caught cheating, two points will be automatically deducted. If you are caught cheating five times, you fail immediately, and your team will be asked to leave the room. Begin."

Naruto gulped. So cheating off of Hinata was out of the question… He looked at his paper again, then around the room to find Sasuke copying hand movements with his Sharingan. So he decided to cheat anyway, huh? 'Well, then; let's see what my Rinnegan can do, dattebayo!' Naruto activated his Rinnegan, then placed a genjutsu over it. Naruto looked around again. He didn't see anyways that his dojutsu could help him here.

'Another thing these loser eyes can't do! Damn it!' Naruto internally raged. Then, he got an idea. Something in his mind told him to channel chakra into his hand. A black rod appeared in Naruto's hand. 'What the Hell? What does this thing even _do_?' He asked himself silently, exasperated. Then the wheels started turning in his head. Instinct took over. He waited patiently. Soon enough, a kunai sailed past his head, landing on the paper of another cheating candidate. "Tests 56, 89, and 21; you fail. Get out!" The genin cleared out quickly, but the damage was already done. Naruto raised his hand. "I have to use the restroom."

Ibiki was about to reply, but suddenly stiffened and said, "Genzo, take him to the bathroom." The chuunin nodded, and the two walked out of the room.

When Naruto came back, he wrote down every answer to the test in quick succession. A grin was present on his face. 'I bet Sasuke's Sharingan can't control people, dattebayo!'

Naruto waited for the tenth question. "Okay, brats! It's time for the tenth question; but there's a little twist to it: you have to choose if you want to take it or not." Ibiki announced. Temari raised her hand. "What happens if we refuse to take it?" Ibiki's face betrayed no emotion. "Then you fail automatically." he said. Someone else shouted, "Then of course we'll take it!" someone said.

"Well, you might not take it if you know the consequences of getting it wrong." Ibiki grinned sadistically. "If you fail the question… you can never take the Chuunin exams again! Not in your life!" Everyone began to shouted about how unfair that rule was. "SILENCE!" His loud voice shut everyone up.

"You can argue all you want, but the fact remains that this is _my_ test, and I can do whatever the bloody Hell I please with it! Got a problem with that, take it up with me _personally_." Ibiki spat.

Team Seven wasn't really worried. 'We made it this far, we can get through one more question.' Sasuke thought. 'I answered the other ones with relative ease; another won't be a problem.' was Sakura's reasoning. Naruto's thought was a little different though. 'Like Kakashi-sensei said, "With eyes like mine, anything is possible",'

One by one, teams dropped out, not wanting to risk their careers. As expected, Samui's team didn't give up, either. After a while, no more teams dropped out. "Well, if everyone here is staying, then I guess you all… pass!" no one was expecting this. (Though by the fact that Samui's facial expression didn't change at all, Naruto suspected that she did). "You see, the tenth question was testing your mettle. When you're a chuunin, you can't have the mindset of a quitter. You can't refuse a mission just because you think it's too dangerous. That isn't allowed. But risking your career for just a chance at success; that's what it means to be a chuunin. That's what a it means to be a _shinobi_." Ibiki explained. Someone raised their hands. "But what about the other questions?" Ibiki laughed. "Isn't it obvious? It was to test your information-gathering skills. Someone of you had more _creative_ ways to cheat." he said, sending Naruto a look. Naruto chuckled nervously, while Hinata looked at Naruto with admiration. 'He's so courageous… Naruto-kun…' Hinata thought, blushing.

Samui rose an eyebrow at Naruto. 'I wonder how he did it…'

A second later, something flew through the window. It was a woman wearing a skimpy fishnet armor and a banner that read, "The Sexy and Single Second Exam Proctor Mitarashi Anko". Naruto knew that things were going to get really weird from there.


	4. I Face a New Kind of Threat

**A/N: Hello and welcome back to my amazing story: Cursed Eyes! Now, I know that a lot of you are probably angry at the minor hiatus that occurred, but that's what happens when you're a fifteen-year-old writer: you get grounded from time to time. Also, pretty soon I should have another story coming out, but it'll be a lot different from this one. For one, Naruto won't be the main character. That's all the info I'm leaking on that! Now let's begin!**

"Wow, Ibiki! 46 teams passed? You must be going soft." Anko Mitarashi jested. Ibiki smirked. "Or maybe it's just that we have a stronger crop this year," he said, sending a pointed look towards Naruto. Anko caught his eye. "Oi oi, what's so special about _that_ brat?" she asked. "Watch the exams; you'll see soon enough," Ibiki said vaguely.

Now all eyes were on Naruto, who looked a little nervous. "It doesn't really matter how many you passed, Ibiki, because _my_ test is guaranteed to cut these green genin in half. Maybe even less than that will be left," Anko continued, licking her lips predatorily. Every weak-willed genin gulped, but our main genin didn't even falter. "Alright, brats, meet me at training ground #44 in thirty minutes! If we start the test without you, you won't be joining at all!" Anko then shunshined away.

Naruto and his team met up in the center of the room. "We already know where training ground 44 is, but I doubt any non-Konoha ninja will. Let's hurry up and get there, dattebayo!" Naruto said excitedly. "Fine. I don't see a point in loitering around here anyway. See you there," Sasuke said, before disappearing in a raiton shunshin. Naruto followed suit, and Sakura used a normal leaf shunshin.

Samui studied the spot where Team 7 was just gathered. "It seems as if the entire team is a threat. I'd like to avoid them if at all possible. Come on, we don't have long to find this place," she said, before walking out of the room, followed by her teammates. "I don't like this," Omoi said to Karui. She nodded. "I don't, either."

_Cursed Eyes_

At the gates surrounding the 44th training ground, Anko began explaining the rules to the second test. "The rules are pretty simple, if you ask me. You start off with either a Heaven scroll, or an Earth scroll. You need to collect the opposite scroll from another team and make it to the tower directly in the center of the forest. That is, while avoiding any teams that want _your_ scroll and any predatory beasts. This place isn't called the Forest of Death for nothing!"Anko grinned wickedly, sending shivers down the genins' backs.

Anko noticed, however, that she wasn't getting to Naruto. 'What does Ibiki see in this gaki?' Anko thought with narrowed eyes.

Naruto suddenly had to block a kunai and deflect a hand coming to his face. Sasuke was instantly behind the assailant with a knife pointed at her jugular. Anko grinned. "You kids are mighty fast for fresh meat. Don't _ever_ let your guards down." Naruto and Sasuke scowled. "What's the big idea attacking me like that, dattebayo!? Ya could've hurt me!"

" _You're no ordinary genin, Na-ru-to-kun. I'll be watching you,"_ Anko whispered into his ear. Naruto shivered. Anko shunshined back to the front of the crowd. "Now, then, just sign these waivers here so we can let you continue!" she said, as if nothing had just happened. The genin all face faulted.

_Cursed Eyes_

Naruto and the gang were hopping through the trees in the forest, searching for teams. "If only one of us were a sensor'ttebayo…" Naruto complained. "Naruto, why don't you just make a ton of Kage Bunshin? Send them out for us to locate teams." Sakura suggested. Naruto grinned. "Great idea, Sakura-chan! **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" Fifty clones spawned near them and shot out in all directions. "I guess we should just set up camp for now,dattebayo," Naruto suggested. They all jumped to the ground and began to set up their tents. "I'll make four Kage Bunshin to keep watch for us as well," Naruto said, before doing so.

Then they made a fire and sat around it, eating ration bars and joking around. Suddenly, Sasuke stiffened. "Come out, we know you're there!" he shouted, standing up. Immediately, three Kiri genin jumped from the bushes and made their presence known. "Well, looks like we got some Konoha trash to take out, eh Metsui?" one of them said to the apparent leader. He nodded, "I'll take out the Uchiha myself." The other one said, "Save the girl for me!" he licked his lips perversely. Sakura began trembling with rage. "I want that one. Don't interfere!" She disappeared in a shunshin, before axe-kicking the despicable boy in his forehead, sending him into the nearby greenery. She promptly followed.

"First one to knock out their opponent wins!" Naruto said before flipping through handseals. " **Fuuton: Reppushou!"** Naruto sent a blast of wind at his enemy, who narrowly dodged, but Naruto was already in his face in an instant.

Sasuke widened his eyes. "No fair! **Katon: Gokakyuu no Jutsu!"** a large fireball erupted from Sasuke's mouth, enveloping his genin at the same time that Naruto delivered a crushing haymaker to his own. "Damnit, it was a tie, dattebayo! Oh well, let's go check on Sakura-chan…" The two hopped after their teammate.

They came upon a rather pleasing sight- Sakura kicking the shit out of the kid. Her rage made her two male teammates shiver in fear. "I don't want her angry at me, dattebayo," Naruto whispered to Sasuke. Sasuke nodded in agreement. Sakura went through the guy's things. "Kuso~! He has an earth scroll like us! We'll have to keep looking," she said. "Take the scroll anyway, so one more team can't pass." Sasuke said. He began walking back to camp. Suddenly, Sakura and Sasuke jumped into the air, just missing an unnatural wave of wind. "NANI~!?" Naruto shouted, as he wasn't lucky enough to escape the blast. He was thrown deep into the woods. "Shit! We just lost a heavy hitter, and I feel a really ominous chakra!" Sasuke said, pulling out a kunai and activating his Sharingan. Sakura quivered in fear. Standing on a nearby branch was a Kusa Kunoichi with an unnaturally long tongue. "Kukukuku… What do we have here?"

_Cures Eyes_

In mid air, Naruto was swallowed by a humongous snake. As he was sliding down the snake's interior, he began struggling. "Let me go! Let me go, damnit! My team needs me!" His body began glowing with a horrible red chakra. His eyes turned red. " **I said let me GO, dattebayo~!"** The red chakra exploded outwards, showering the nearby forest with snake gore.

The chakra receded. "I've gotta get back to Sasuke and Sakura-chan!" he immediately ran forward in the direction he came from.

_Cursed Eyes_

Sasuke and Sakura had begun trading blows with the slippery Kusa kunoichi, but to no avail. Sakura came in high with a heel drop while Sasuke went low with a leg sweep, but the kunoichi hopped slightly and blocked Sakura's leg, grabbing her and throwing her higher into the trees, then kicking Sasuke in the ribs. Sasuke spat blood, and charged her again. He put everything he had into his blows, completely forgetting about the Uchiha Interceptor Fist, and went into brawling mode.

Sakura sneakily cast the Magen: Narakumi no Jutsu on the kunoichi, making her movements lock up. This gave Sasuke the time necessary to power up his Chidori. He shoved his lightning-covered fist through the Grass nin's heart, feeling it rupture inside her body. He removed his hand, coated in blood, as Sakura joined him.

"She made Zabuza look like a joke," Sasuke wheezed. Sakura sighed. "Maybe she has the scroll we ne-" she was cut off as a most grotesque thing began occurring. A second body began crawling _out_ of the Kusa nin's ravaged one, much to Sasuke and Sakura's disgust. It stood up, looking no worse than it was when the fight began. "H-how is that… possible… I _killed_ you!" Sasuke shook with terror, knowing, that he had no chance of beating the reinvigorated enemy. Sweat lined Sakura's forehead. "We're finished… not even with Naruto could we even hope to defeat her!" she said, "It's hopeless!"

"Kukuku… I was hoping for a better show, Sasuke-kun. Well, when you receive my gift, I'll get what I'm looking for…" Suddenly, the grass ninja's neck extended past normal limits, straight towards Sasuke. He gasped, thinking it was over, but a cry of " **Banshou Ten'in!"** saved him. Sasuke flew backwards towards… "Naruto! You're alive"! He said in shock. Then his eyes widened in fear at the person who had saved him.

Naruto's body shook with rage, his entire being glowing with the Nine Tailed Demon Fox's chakra. His eyes were a piercing red, his whisker marks became more defined, and his canines and nails sharpened and lengthened. He was scowling heavily. "How dare you…?" he muttered.

The kusa nin smirked, "Kukuku… I never imagined that you would've survived my little snake's attack…" Naruto growled. "How dare you try to kill my friends, you **BASTARD**?!" Naruto shouted, leaping forward towards the kusa genin in righteous fury. They began exchanging devastating blows at supreme speeds- so fast that only Sasuke's Sharingan could follow. To Sakura, the claw marks that appeared on the trees nearby were completely random.

Then something clicked in her head. 'Snakes… she's extremely powerful, and she uses snakes…' "Naruto! That's Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin! You're no match for him!" she cried in vain, hoping to get her teammate to stop acting so foolishly. It did nothing to stop the fight. "Sakura, if that's really Orochimaru, then we'd be doing Naruto no favor by standing in the way. We need to get farther back." Sasuke suggested. Sakura nodded. "R-right!"

Naruto kicked Orochimaru in the head, following up with a downwards elbow into his back, before finishing with " **Fuuton: Juuha Reppushou!"** This was his most powerful Fuuton technique because Kakashi had taught him to add the Kyuubi's chakra to it. The attack collided with Orochimaru's backside, crushing him into the ground. His limbs were bent at unnatural angles.

" **Suiton: Teppodama!"** Naruto's eyes widened as a ball of water smacked into his back, sending him to the ground. He noticed the body near him dissolve into dust. "Doton: Kage Bunshin…." Naruto spat. He flipped to his feet, looking up into the trees where the attack came from. Three Orochimaru's stood in the trees. They each yelled, " **Fuuton: Renkudan!"** Naruto's eyes widened at the jutsu. 'I've got an idea…' " **Suiton: Suijinheki!"** he spat a jet of water that formed into a wall, warding off the descending compressed air waves.

Suddenly, a Naruto appeared on the branch behind the clones. " **Asura Path!"** He fired both of his arms off into the middle Orochimaru, whom he suspected to be the original, then lasered both of the other Orochimaru's. The two rightmost ones dissolved into the dust, while the leftmost one shedded his skin again.

Naruto could keep going, but there was no point in continuing the fight this way. If Orochimaru could just shrug off even his most powerful jutsu,, and Naruto had endless chakra and stamina then eventually Naruto would make a mistake that the more experienced shinobi would capitalize on. 'So what can I do? My arsenal is limited, dattebayo!' Suddenly, the gears in Naruto's head began turning, slowly morphing his face into a grin. Orochimaru charged at him again, and instead of unleashing any jutsu, Naruto engaged in hand-to-hand combat. "Oh? You're fighting head on again. Don't tell me you think you can win without using any jutsu?" Orochimaru jabbed. Naruto smirked. "You lose, dattebayo." Naruto grabbed ahold of Orochimaru's wrists, and then seallessly made three Kage Bunshin that held onto him as well. They all shouted, " **Preta Path!"** Suddenly, Orochimaru's chakra began leaking from his system, and into the quartet of Naruto's'. "Wh-what the Hell is this…!?" he grunted, struggling to break free. Every second, he got weaker and weaker.

As Orochimaru lost most of his chakra, Naruto shouted, "Sasuke! Hit him with everything you've got dattebayo!" Sasuke smirked. He held his right hand out to the side, and it began cackling with lightning. His Sharingan was active, spinning wildly. At some point, he'd gained his third tomoe. Sasuke charged forward at the bumbling mess that was Orochimaru and struck his fist through the missing ninja's head. His body dissolved into a multitude of snakes. "Burn them! **Katon: Housenka no Jutsu**!" Naruto spat twenty fireballs at each snake. Sasuke fired off his own gigantic fireball at a group of them. He panted heavily. "It's no use… he got away. We couldn't stop him."

Naruto spat on the ground in anger. "So what do we do, then?" Sakura walked up to them. "We get stronger," she said. "We become Chuunin and train harder than ever. Orochimaru is after Sasuke for some reason, and whatever that reason is, chances are that it's bad news. I say we get out of this forest as fast as possible and report this to Kakashi-sensei." Naruto and Sasuke both nodded. "Naruto-kun, I can't believe you just beat Orochimaru!" Sakura exclaimed. Both Naruto and Sasuke froze. "Did you… did you just call me, 'Naruto-kun'?" Naruto asked. Sakura blushed. "We-well… I mean…" Sasuke smirked. "So you've got a crush on him, now? Surprising, considering how revolted you were by him in the academy." "It's not like that!" Sakura shouted in vain. Naruto and Sasuke began laughing, and soon enough, so did Sakura.

Naruto suddenly stopped laughing. "Did you hear that?" He turned to the woods. "There's a team in there. Come on!" He hopped into the trees, followed by his teammates. Naruto was tackled backwards by an enemy dressed in black. They hit the ground. "Naruto!" Sasuke shouted, He unleashed a quartet of shuriken into the assailant's back. They simply stood up and hopped backwards away from Naruto. Naruto got up. "I'm annoyed with this. We'll beat them quickly and take their scroll, then head for the tower, dattebayo!" Naruto jumped into the air and butterfly-kicked the genin across from him. It dissipated into what looked like a thick mist. '"It's some kind of clone! I don't know how many they can make!" Naruto exclaimed.

Immediately, dozens of the enemy appeared in the trees surrounding the trio. Sasuke and Sakura backed up towards Naruto. "Naruto, maybe you should even it up a little bit," Sasuke suggested. Naruto grinned. "I couldn't agree more, dattebayo. **Tajuu Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" Naruto clones appeared in droves. The clone armies immediately began tearing into each other. After a while of this, Sasuke said, " **Kai!"** and all of the clones disappeared. "It was a Genjutsu?" Naruto asked, dispelling his clones. Sasuke noticed a genin who looked like the original of the clones. He threw a kunai and pinned the guy's shoulder to the tree he was in. "Looks like we might have what we need." Sasuke hopped into the tree and went through the guy's things. "Alright, I found it. Sakura, do you have a compass? Because the tower is north, last time I checked." Sakura nodded and checked hers. "That way," she said. She hopped into the trees, followed by her teammates. They made it to the tower within the hour.

Inside the tower, they read some writing on the wall. "Um.. so what exactly does this mean, dattebayo?" Naruto asked, scratching his head. Sakura nodded in understanding. "We have to open the scrolls," she said. Once she did, Iruka appeared in front of them. "Ohayou, Iruka-sensei! It's been a while, hasn't it?" Naruto said. Iruka smiled. "It has. Maybe once you're done in here, I can take you out for ramen- you know, for old times' sake." Naruto grinned cheekily. "That's a great idea, dattebayo!" Iruka's smile grew wider. "Naruto, I'm very proud of you- all of you- and how far you've come. I remember the kid who couldn't even do one bunshin; now look at you!" "Umm, Iruka-sensei, we fought Orochimaru of the Densetsu no Sannin in the forest of death." Sakura said.

…

"Na-NANI? Are you sure? Is he still out there?!" Iruka yelled/asked, panicking. "Calm down, Iruka-sensei! We beat him! He's hiding in the forest somewhere, not at full capacity. Just send some ANBU after him. They should be able to kill him!" Naruto said. Iruka's eyes almost popped out of their sockets. "You guys beat Orochimaru?!" "Well, technically, it was Naruto-kun who did… we didn't really do much to help…." Sakura said. "I _told_ you guys I was a Super-ninja, dattebayo!" Naruto said with a triumphant grin. Iruka shook his head in disbelief. "To think it would be you of all people… you really are the number one unpredictable ninja, Naruto. Now go on into the tower- I'll inform Hokage-sama, and you'll most likely be debriefed. Anyhow, good job on beating a Sannin! Maybe you three will be the next Three Ninja." They all smiled at the thought of that. "Okay, Iruka-sensei, see ya later!" The three genin walked further into the tower, ready to face anything that came at them.

'Come on, World! Throw everything you have at me, dattebayo! I can take it.'

 **Well, it took a while longer than I wanted, but the chapter is done. Also, Ishould mention that Sasuke will be getting a sword, and Naruto will probably get trench knives like Asuma. Naruto never really takes full advantage of his fuuton affinity in most stories I read, so I want to do something about that. Also, if this chapter is any indication, Sakura WILL be a professional badass. I hope this does not upset anyone. Well, hell if I care if it does, I like Sakura. Any questions, feel free to drop 'em as a review, and I'll get back to ya. Ja ne!**


	5. I Earn my Spot in the Finals

**Boy, it's been awhile since I've updated. I'll try to fit most of the fights into this chapter. Well, I'll spare you guys the incessant talking and just get to work.**

After a few more days of rest, every passing Genin assembled in the main room of the tower. 'So, all the rookies made it….' Naruto thought to himself. 'Damn, I was hoping Gaara's team would somehow get defeated in the forest… at least we didn't run into them after fighting Orochimaru.'

"Sasuke, Sakura." Naruto got his teammates' attention. "No one here is a pushover. Some people, like Samui-chan and Gaara; we have to go all-out against. Just hope you don't fight them,"

"That's what _you_ hope, dead-last!" Kiba's taunting voice snarked.

Naruto turned to him, glaring daggers. "Have you not noticed? The people I named didn't get injured in the forest. Even Sasuke got injured; the so-called Rookie of the Year and prodigy of the Uchiha clan; Itachi's second coming. I don't know if you care about being promoted, but I do."

Sasuke didn't even bat an eye at being called Itachi's second coming; he'd learned to keep his anger in check when in the field, and release it during training. But at the same time, to hear Naruto speak like this; it was almost as if he was… afraid.

Sasuke shook his head- there's no way someone like Naruto would fear anyone. Look at what happened in Nami no Kuni, or in the forest for that matter! He fought Orochimaru head-on, and won- albeit with a little help. So Naruto couldn't fear these people. It was a ridiculous notion.

Sasuke watched Kiba and Naruto throw insults at each other. "Uzumaki Naruto… you're a mystery to me."

"Congratulations to everyone who passed the second exam," Hiruzen said from the front of the room. "We have been holding these chuunin exams yearly since the time of the Nidaime Hokage. We gather every six months to broadcast our strength to other nations, and to avoid any breaks in the current peace; which many shinobi lost their lives to establish in the first place."

A jounin coughed and stepped forward. "If you don't mind, Hokage-sama, I'll take it from here," he said. Hiruzen nodded and backed up.

"My name is Gekkou Hayate. I'll be *cough* the proctor for the next exams. Unfortunately, the number of participants is still too high, *cough* so we'll need to hold preliminary matches beforehand." Outrage was heard from the Genin, as expected. Hayate held up a hand. "There are high-ranking officials coming to view the Chuunin exams, and they don't want the exams to drag on. Therefore, we need to narrow the numbers down further to show off the least number of very effective genin. Now, if anyone would like to drop out because they are too tired, feel free to do so now."

Kabuto raised his hand. "Yeah, I'm beat. I'm done; sorry guys."

Hayate nodded. "You may return to your room, then. Now, there will be one-on-one fights from this point on. The board in front will randomly select fighters." Kabuto walked out as the board called out the first two fighters:

 **Uchiha Sasuke vs. Akado Yoroi**

Yoroi smirked. "Looks like I get the Uchiha! Perfect."

Sasuke frowned at the opponent he was facing. "Can't I get someone stronger, like Naruto or Sakura? Oh well; I guess I'll just fight and move on."

Yoroi scowled, but before he could retort, Hayate said, "All non-combatants, please move to the stands above." After that happened, Hayate initiated the fight.

Sasuke activated his Sharingan. "I guess I should defeat you quickly, then… **Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu!** " A large fireball sped towards Yoroi, who jumped over it, locking eyes with Sasuke. Sasuke suddenly disappeared.

Yoroi's eyes widened as he landed, looking around. "Where'd he go!" he shouted frantically.

In the stands, everyone was confused. "But Sasuke hasn't moved," Kiba said.

Naruto grinned. "He does that to me all the time. It was a subtle Genjutsu."

Everyone looked at Naruto, "How'd he cast a Genjutsu with no handseals?' Kiba asked, not believing it for a second.

"Trade secret, Kiba; trade secret."

Back in the fight, Sasuke walked calmly towards an enemy who didn't even know he was there, twirling a kunai. 'This was way too easy…' He pointed the kunai at Yoroi's throat and cancelled the Genjutsu. "Yield," he said coldly.

The blade lightly cut Yoroi's throat. "I-I yield."

"Winner of the first match: Uchiha Sasuke!" Sasuke's teammates cheered, and Yoroi sullenly joined his teammate. The next fight was called:

 **Samui vs Kinuta Dosu**

Samui narrowed her eyes at her opponent who she hadn't seen in the forest; nor did he have a scratch on him. She hopped down to the ground, followed by him. 'Well, if Naruto could take him as easily as he did in the first exam, this shouldn't be a problem. Still, that's no reason to let my guard down. He's from Otogakure, and there's a reason that the village is called that.'

"Begin!" Hayate called. Dosu suddenly charged forward, and Samui raiton: shunshin'd to the left, before drawing her tanto. She channeled lightning chakra into the blade, elongating it, and slashed at Dosu, who ducked under her swing and attempted an uppercut. She barely dodged, but her eyes widened as she suddenly felt sick. She narrowly avoided another punch, but that made her feel even worse.

Dosu was coming in for a third when she figured it out: 'Those vambraces!' She suddenly slashed into his arm, sending blood and scrap everywhere. She twirled and did the same to his other arm.

Dosu jumped back with a growl. "So, you're more talented than other genin. You managed to not only power through my sound jutsu, but destroy the source as well." He got into a loose taijutsu stance, "It looks like I'll have to beat you another way." They charged again.

Dosu attempted to block Samui's first strike with a kunai, but her lightning-covered blade easily sank through the softer metal. Dosu's eyes widened as he jumped back to avoid the surely fatal blow to his head; but he wasn't quick enough, and the small sword took out his right and only eye. He jumped backwards and fell to a knee in pain. "Do you give?" Hayate asked.

Dosu growled, "I give."

"Winner: Samui! Medics!" Hayate called out. A team rushed out carrying a gurney. They transported Dosu further into the tower. Samui finally threw up the contents of her stomach that she had been holding in. Omoi and Karui helped her back up to the stands. After a quick clean-up, the next fight was announced:

 **Haruno Sakura vs Yamanaka Ino**

Sakura smirked. "Looks like I get to put you in your place, Forehead," Ino taunted.

Sakura looked at her sweetly. "I'm going to mop the floor with you, Ino-chan." All the males present shivered at her sickly-sweet tone.

Once down in the arena, Hayate called the match. Sakura lazily took out two kunai and reverse-gripped them. Ino got into a pitiful taijutsu stance; the one that they teach you in the academy. Suddenly, Sakura flung the first kunai she was holding past Ino's head. Ino shook for a second at how close it came to her eye; she had a shallow cut on her forehead. Then she laughed, "Ha! You can't even hit a still target, Billboard-brow?"

Sakura shunshined in a circle around Ino. There was a smirk on her face. She threw her other kunai at the opposite wall, and suddenly, Ino was trapped by something invisible. As she struggled, her arms and sides began to leak blood. Sakura laughed, "How did you fall for simple ninja wire? Pitiful. Proctor, call the match."

"Winner: Haruno Sakura!" Sakura cut the wires and collected her kunai.

Ino returned to the stands, ashamed at her easy defeat. "It's okay, Ino-chan. We'll just have to work a little harder," Asuma encouraged. Ino only nodded.

 **Tenten vs Sabaku no Temari**

This fight was the most entertaining by far. The two kunoichi engaged in a battle befitting of Jounin; however, Tenten's weapons tactic was useless against Temari's master use of Fuuton. Naruto was awed by the use of Fuuton chakra, and vowed that that would be the next element he would learn.

 **Aburame Shino vs Zaku**

In a manner befitting of a shinobi, Shino tricked Zaku into defeating himself. It was highly embarrassing.

 **Nara Shikamaru vs Kin**

Shikamaru used his **Kagemane no Jutsu** to defeat Kin.

 **Uzumaki Naruto vs Inuzuka Kiba**

"Hahaha! We get the dead-last!" Kiba yelled mockingly. "This'll be a piece of cake! We sure did luck out, huh, Akamaru?" Akamaru only whimpered in response.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Listen to the puppy, Kiba. I'm not the dead-last anymore. I'll prove it." Naruto Raiton: Shunshined onto the battlefield. Kiba follwed suit.

As soon as Hayate called the match, Naruto held out his hand. **"Banshou Ten'in!"** Kiba, to his own dismay, careened forward, only to be caught by the neck, courtesy of Naruto. Naruto held out his other hand, parallel to Kiba's stomach, with a smirk. **"Fuuton: Reppushou!"** Naruto didn't place cutting fuuton chakra into the attack, as he didn't want to bisect a Konoha shinobi. Instead, he used grinding chakra, which sent Kiba across the room.

Kiba got up with a growl. "You'll pay for that, dobe! **Juujin Bunshin no Jutsu**!" In a puff of smoke, Akamaru was transformed into a copy of Kiba. **"Gatsuuga!"** Both Kibas began spinning violently in the air, similar to a drill, then came down on Naruto.

Naruto folded his arms across his chest.

"What the Hell is that idiot doing? If that attack hits him, he'll die for sure!" Temari said.

Sakura smirked. "Naruto-kun, dying by the hand of _Kiba_? That's laughable. He'd sooner die by _my_ hand."

Back in the arena, Naruto had yet to move. Just as Kiba was upon him, he yelled, **"Shinra Tensei!"** Naruto, wanted to end the fight quickly, poured more chakra into the jutsu than usual. This had three effects: one, it cracked the floor around Naruto in a spherical fashion. Two, the jutsu would take a few seconds extra to recharge. Three: When Kiba and Akamaru came into contact with the field, it caused a gigantic "BOOM", and The Inuzuka duo were thrown into adjacent walls.

They didn't move again.

"Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

Naruto's cold gaze lingered over his fallen opponents. "Those weaklings never stood a chance." Then he shunshined back into the stands.

Sasuke smirked at him. "You finally beat Kiba in a fight, huh? It took you long enough. Too bad you can't beat me."

Naruto smirked back. "We'll see in the finals, bastard. Sakura-chan, you were amazing! You really showed Ino who's boss. Team 7 made it to the finals!"

"Naruto-kun, I hope you don't mind, but I'll be training Sasuke-kun and Sakura-chan without you. Hokage-sama told me that someone has requested to specially train you. I think you'll be happy to learn what they have to offer," Kakashi said.

Narto, while a little sad that he wouldn't get to train with his team, was ecstatic about learning a new jutsu. "Okay, sensei! Oi, bastard, why weren't you copying any jutsu in the forest? That certainly would've helped."

Sasuke scowled. "You never used any handseals, idiot. Oro- that Kusa-nin didn't, either. How am I supposed to copy a jutsu without handseals?"

Naruto sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Of course, heh heh…"

Sakura sighed. "Sometimes, it seems like you're getting smarter, Naruto-kun. Then you say something stupid, and you're back to square one."

Naruto sighed dejectedly. "Sakura-chan thinks I'm stupid…"

Hayate coughed, getting everyone's attention. "The next match is, Akimichi Chouji versus Karui of Kumo."

Karui grinned and hopped down into the arena. Chouji looked hesitant to compete. "C'mon, Chouji; if you fight, I'll treat you to barbecue later," Asuma encouraged.

Chouji had a fire in his eyes like never before. "Yosh! For barbecue!" He jumped down into the arena.

Karui unsheathed her long blade. "I'll show you Konoha-nin who the real strongest of the five is: Kumo!"

Hayate called the match.

Immediately afterwards, Chouji shouted, **"Baika no Jutsu!"** His fist was enlarged several times, and he brought it down upon Karui. Karui disappeared in a shunshin and reappeared in front of Chouji directly after his fist came down, a clone next to her. Together, they double uppercutted Chouji, sending him into the air and cancelling his expansion. One of the Karuies threw the other into Chouji, and the thrown one dispelled, sending discharges of lightning into Chouji's airborne form. He came down to the ground with a thud, the only movement being an odd twitch.

"Winner: Karui! Medics!"

"Eeh? She won in two moves! And she only used a single jutsu!" Naruto exclaimed.

"What was with that clone? It turned into lightning." Kurenai asked.

Naruto grinned. "That was a Raiton: Kage Bunshin. It's basically a normal shadow clone, but it's infused with lightning, so when it's dispelled, it reverts into lightning, electrocuting anything it touches."

Everyone looked at Naruto. "How do you know that, Naruto?" Kurenai asked, impressed.

"Because I know that jutsu. I just don't use it often," Naruto said.

"You can- you know jutsu of two different elements?" Asuma asked, shocked.

Naruto smirked. "A little more than that, actually. But enough of that; the next match is about to start."

 **Hyuuga Hinata vs. Hyuuga Neji**

Hinata's face went pale. Neji smirked and hopped down into the arena. "Oi, oi, Hinata-chan. Why are you looking like that? You were one of the best Kunoichi of our class! Kick his ass already!" Naruto encouraged.

Hinata timidly smiled at him. "Naruto-kun…" Hinata's eyes hardened, and she walked into the arena.

Neji gave Hinata a condescending stare. "Hinata-sama, you should stand down; Fate has already decreed the victor of this match."

Hinata glared at Neji. "I'll never bow to you, Neji-nii-san. I won't go down without a fight."

Hayate threw his arm down, "Let the match begin!"

Instantly, the Hyuugas began throwing palms laced with chakra at one another. This continued for almost two minutes.

In the stands, the Rookies were awed. "So, Hinata-chan has been holding back a lot more than I thought…" Naruto said.

Sasuke and Sakura looked at him. Sakura spoke: "You knew she was this strong, Naruto-kun?"

Naruto shook his head, "I knew she was capable, because I remember that in the Academy, she would pull her punches. I guess she just needed encouragement to use her powers effectively."

"Huh," Sasuke said, "And here I thought she was just weak and timid."

Sakura snorted, "You couldn't have really expected a clan heiress to act like that. No one in _her_ clan of all clans would stand for it."

The fight began heating up, although the only one sustaining any injuries would be Hinata. Blood leaked out of her mouth, and to the trained eye, it was obvious that she was losing speed and power. Finally, Neji's palm connected with Hinata's chest, sending her sliding back onto the floor, a chunk of blood squirting from her lips.

For a few seconds, no one moved. Then, Hinata crawled back to her feet. "I'm… I'm not done. Not yet."

Neji scoffed. "Proctor, call the match, or I'll end it right here." He re-entered his stance.

"No…! I can still fight!" Hinata said, also preparing for another bout. Neji growled and charged forward, intent on killing Hinata.

In a puff of smoke, Hinata was no longer in the same spot. Looking around, everyone saw that Hinata was being cradled by Naruto, who sported a terrifying glare. His Rinnegan was obviously covered by Genjutsu, but that didn't hinder the glare's intent. "You bastard…" Naruto growled.

"Naruto-kun…" Hinata mumbled in shock.

"Is this the treatment that the Main Branch gets over the Branch House?!" Neji screamed in rage.

"You bastard! Urusai! She's done nothing to you!" Naruto screamed louder.

"And what do you know of clan affairs, Uzumaki Naruto? You should stay out of it!"

"Winner by disqualification: Hyuuga Neji. Medics!" Hayate called. As the medics took Hinata away, Naruto growled low in his throat.

"Neji… if I face you in the finals, I'll show you who defines fate." Naruto said, with righteous fury in his voice.

Neji narrowed his eyes. "I don't even consider you a rival, dead-last. I'll defeat you even more quickly than I did Hinata-sama."

Now there was a grin on Naruto's face; as if he was saying, "Can you believe this guy? He thinks he can beat me!"

"We'll see." Naruto hopped back to the stands, followed by Neji.

 **Rock Lee vs. Sabaku no Gaara**

"YOSH! It is finally my turn! Gai-sensei, I won't let you down!" Lee said, jumping down into the arena. Naruto turned to look at Gaara, and was unnerved because Gaara was staring at him. It seemed as if he'd been doing it for a while.

Gaara then decided to shunshin into the arena, arms folded. Neither combatant did anything more than stare. Then: "Let the match begin!"

Instantly, Lee came at Gaara with a spinning kick, **"Konoha Senpuu!"** Without moving, Gaara's sand blocked the attack. Lee used the sand to catapult into the air, then came back down with a heel-drop that was, once again, blocked by the sand. This pattern of Lee attacking and the sand blocking continued for an entertaining three minutes. Finally, Lee slid backwards, huffing, looking for an angle.

"Lee! Take them off!" Gai called, confusing most everyone present.

"Hai, Gai-sensei!" Lee said, reaching into his socks and pulling out weights.

"Now, what are a couple of pounds off going to-" Temari started, but trailed off as the weights hit the ground, leaving large craters.

Naruto grinned. "Now I'd like to spar with him; no ninjutsu, only taijutsu."

Gai spoke to Naruto, "Lee is actually only capable of taijutsu, so I'm sure he'd appreciate a sparring partner for his specialty.

Lee blasted forward with godspeed, striking Gaara's face and sending him backwards slightly. That was the only hit he got in, however, as after that, the sand began to keep up with him. "Lee, remember when I said that what I taught you is only to be used to protect your comrades?" Gai said.

"Hai, Gai-sensei! I remember!" Lee said, still attacking.

"Well, you can't protect your comrades if you're only a Genin, can you?!" Gai said with a pearly white smile.

Lee stopped his attacks, backed up, and smiled. **"Kaimon: Kai!"** Lee blasted forward and landed a punch on Gaara's face, followed extremely quickly by an elbow to the back of his head. Lee moved backwards before the sand could grab him, then charged forward again, **"Kyuumon: Kai!"** Lee's speed seemed to increase further, and now no one could actually see him, save for a few. Two dozen punches and kicks decimated Gaara's form, causing the sand to become immobile for a few seconds with each attack.

"Okay, now I'm not really sure if I want to spar with him… I didn't know he could use the eight gates," Naruto spoke.

"That guy's even more of a monster than you, Naruto-kun," Sakura said in awe.

Sasuke only continued to watch.

By this time, Lee had opened another gate, and his skin was an angry red. Punch after punch connected with Gaara's form, and the pain was evident in his face. Lee launched Gaara into the air, unwrapped his arm bandages, wrapped them around Gaara, and shouted, **"Ura Renge!"**

As they hit the ground, a fissure opened.

"Lee could've killed him…" Naruto noted.

"I honestly didn't think he'd be this strong after what the weirdo did before the first exam," Sasuke said.

When the dust settled, Lee backed away from the downed Gaara, thinking it was over. This was a mistake.

The sand lying around the arena converged on Lee, who had just then deactivated his gates. Due to this, and the strain that the gates put on his body, he was too sluggish to dodge. One chunk of sand grabbed onto Lee's forearm, and the other his leg. In a sickening crunch, followed by a shrill shriek of pain, the sand imploded, crushing Lee's appendages.

Gaara stood up, sand peeling away from his face. "He- he's not even injured from that? What a monster!" Naruto shouted. Gaara's sand began crawling up Lee's body, presumably to crush the rest of it, when Hayate's arm grabbed Gaara's.

"The match is over. If you kill him now, you'll be disqualified." Hayate said with a cough. Gaara stared for a moment, then retracted his sand into his gourd. "Winner by debilitation: Sabaku no Gaara!"

As the medics and Gai took the crippled Lee away, Gaara stared at Naruto. "You're next, Uzumaki Naruto." Then he returned to the stands.

"Naruto, what did you do to piss him off like that?" Kurenai asked.

"From what I can tell, he just likes to fight strong opponents. If that's the case, I'll show him just who he's messing with, dattebayo!" Naruto said with conviction.

 **Omoi vs. Sabaku no Kankurou**

"This will be the last match, as there are no competitors left to fight after this one. Misumi gets a pass into the finals." Hayate said.

"Oh, man… what'll happen if I lose? Will I be kicked out of the Kumo ranks? Disgraced? Will I become a missing-nin? Will-" Karui cut Omoi off by smacking his head.

"Get into the arena, you dolt!" she hissed, causing Omoi to cry and jump down.

"Kankurou, you better not lose!" Temari said. Kankurou clicked his tongue and jumped into the arena.

"Whatever. I got this."

Hayate called the match.

Omoi unsheathed his kodachi and charged it with lightning. "You know, I didn't think I'd get to fight you again."

Kankurou smirked. "Heh. I'll show you what Suna's capable of this time. Come at me!" Omoi charged.

"Hoh…? So those two teams crossed paths in the forest. Samui-chan didn't say anything; I wonder why?" Naruto pondered.

"I'm supposed to tell you everything now; is that right?" Samui asked, appearing next to the group.

"Well, not _every_ thing, but that would've been relevant information, dattebayo!" Naruto said.

"To be honest, they weren't anything we couldn't handle. I fought Gaara for a while, but it was a stalemate. Fighting him is not cool. Karui fought the cool blonde one, and Omoi obviously fought the makeup-wearing one. Karui won easily, even though wind is powerful against lightning, while Omoi had a little more trouble with his opponent. It's pretty much guaranteed that Omoi won't fall for his uncool little trick again." Samui said, watching the fight the entire time.

Naruto gave Samui a grin. "I can't wait until I get to fight you, Mui-chan."

Samui rose an eyebrow at the nickname. "Getting a little informal, are we? You're interesting, Naruto-san. Or, would you prefer 'Ruto-kun?'" The unfaltering smile on Naruto's face was the only answer she needed. "I can't wait until we clash, either. Hopefully, it's soon."

Sasuke noticed Sakura glaring slightly at Samui. "So, you really do like him, huh?" he whispered into Sakura's ear.

Sakura blushed and scowled at him. "Of course I don't like that idiot! Isn't it obvious who I like?"

Sasuke nodded, "Yes, it's plainly obvious."

Sakura said nothing else. Naruto and Samui continued to idly chat as they watched the match.

Omoi went for a stab at Kankurou's chest, but it was blocked. Unexpectedly, Omoi dropped his kodachi, jumped up, kicked the wrapped bundle on Kankurou's back, and caught his kodachi, all in one fluid move. The bundle separated from Kankurou, and Omoi stabbed through Kankurou's heart. Then he sliced upwards, sending springs, wood, and metal everywhere.

The bundle unwrapped itself, revealing itself to be the real Kankurou. "Tch. I knew it wouldn't fool you again, but I didn't think I'd be fighting you, so I didn't have time to come up with a new tactic, or even switch my puppet back to its proper place. Now it's gone. Whatever. I won't give up that easily." Kankurou said.

"Actually, it's game over." Another Omoi stood behind Kankurou, his blade poised at Kankurou's back. "One wrong move and this goes through your liver. I'd resign if I were you."

Kankurou scowled. "So I lost the match _and_ Crow? What a load of shit. Proctor, I yield."

"Winner: Omoi!"

"Well, Mui-chan, it looks like Kumo hasn't been getting lax. Your entire team made it to the finals, and technically you've chosen the worst place to take your exams as our villages aren't exactly on friendly terms. Honestly, I'm impressed." Naruto said to Samui.

Samui gave him an appreciative nod. "That's cool of you to say, Ruto-kun. You're team isn't shabby, either; I see real potential in the Uchiha. And don't think I don't know about your kekkei genkai." This made Team 7, Kakashi included, stiffen.

"What exactly do you know about it?" Naruto asked.

"My sensei encountered someone with your abilities a long time ago. Your _exact_ abilities. He had peculiar eyes. Do you have those, as well?" Samui offered.

When Naruto stayed silent for a moment, Samui spoke again. "This would just be between you and I, Ruto-kun. Do you have the Rinnegan?"

Kakashi sighed and clasped Naruto's shoulder. "No point in hiding it now, I suppose. It's up to you whether you want to keep up the appearance of the Genjutsu."

Naruto sighed as well and released it. "Yes, Mui-chan. I have the Sage's eyes. But don't think that that's the only thing that makes me strong! I have other abilities, as well!"

Samui offered him a smile. "I don't judge people based on their bloodlines; I judge them based on their work ethic. From what I've seen of you so far, you put effort into being a shinobi. That's why I find you so interesting. You were apparently the dead-last of your graduating class, but look at how far you've come in a mere two months. No eyes, no matter how fancy, could accomplish something like that; you did. You're really cool, Ruto-kun." Samui rejoined her team.

Kakashi gave Naruto an eye-smile. "Looks like you've got a girlfriend, Naruto-kun. And a Kumo-nin at that. How does that make you feel?"

Naruto blushed and suddenly found his feet to be very interesting. "She's not my girlfriend, dattebayo…"

"Could all of the finalists return to the floor, so we may assign the finals fights?" Hayate requested. As soon as everyone was in the arena, the results were posted:

Round One, Match One: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji

Round One, Match Two: Uchiha Sasuke vs. Sabaku no Gaara

Round One, Match Three: Samui vs Haruno Sakura

Round One, Match Four: Nara Shikamaru vs. Sabaku no Temari

Round One, Match Five: Omoi vs. Aburame Shino

Round One, Match Six: Karui vs. Tsurugi Misumi

"You have one month to prepare for these fights. Most of you have already analyzed your opponents. Train to overcome their strengths. I bid you adieu." Hayate said, before disappearing in a shunshin.

"Naruto-kun, you'll probably find your instructor at the male hotsprings, peeping at the women. Try to have patience with him, because he's one of the strongest in the village, and can offer you things." Kakashi said. "Sasuke-kun, Sakura-chan; with me. Ja ne, Naruto!"

"Bye, Naruto-kun!"

"Later, loser."

"See ya, Kaka-sensei, Sakura-chan, Bastard. Get stronger. I'll be defeating everyone in the finals."

 **Officially my longest chapter ever. I didn't want to end it without getting through all of the fights, because the next segment I have planned is pretty much filler. Also, within the next few chapters, you'll see exactly why Naruto has the Rinnegan. No, I didn't start this thinking that Nagato's Rinnegan was natural. I had this angle planned out before hand. I'm really excited for the future of this story. Until next time, which will be soon!**


	6. The Plot Thickens while I Get Stronger

**I'm back, and quicker than usual!** **Albeit because I made this chapter ridiculously short…**

It didn't take long for Naruto to find his "teacher"; in fact, Naruto was so excited that he sought out his trainer immediately after leaving the tower. When Naruto saw a tall man peeping into the women's bathing area, he wasn't so sure that the man was anything special. Then he realized; 'Tall; long, white hair; carries a scroll… Jiraiya of the Densetsu no Sannin!' "Oi! Jiraiya!" Naruto called, walking over.

"Go away, kid. This is good stuff!" Jiraiya shooed, causing Naruto to scowl.

" **Banshou Ten'in!"** Naruto called, launching a squealing Jiraiya back into the hot water. As Jiraiya gained his bearings, Naruto laughed. "Yeah, you're a legendary ninja, alright! Kaka-sensei doesn't even fall for that anymore!"

Jiraiya looked at Naruto in shock. "So, it's true…. The Sage's eyes aren't lost…. Well, kid, if you'll accept, I'll officially make you my apprentice."

Naruto smirked. "So, does that mean you'll teach me your jutsu?"

Jiraiya nodded, "Let's start small. Can you water walk?"

Naruto nodded. "I can also kunai balance, and split leaves, set leaves on fire, drench leaves, and make leaves crumple. I can't dissolve them into dust, however."

Jiraiya widened his eyes. "It seems that Kakashi is a better teacher than I expected. Alright, there's no way you have a summoning contract, do you?"

"Well, Kakashi said I could sign the Dog contract if I wanted. Why? Would you let me sign the Toad contract?" Naruto asked.

Jiraiya nodded. "I hear from Kakashi that the Yondaime is your hero. He was the last holder of the contract under me."

Naruto's eyes beamed, "No way… you're the best, Jiraiya-sensei! Ooh, is it possible that I can learn the Rasengan and Hiraishin?"

"The Rasengan I can help you with, but I don't know the Hiraishin. Technically, it belongs to the Senju clan. If Tsunade-hime comes back to the village, you can ask her to let you into the Senju compound, and we can attempt to recreate the jutsu." Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded. "I'd prefer to handle this somewhere other than a public hot spring."

Jiraiya hummed. "Should we go to the training grounds around the corner?"

"Alright meet ya there, Jiraiya-sensei!" Naruto ran back into the changing room.

"…Five more minutes won't hurt," Jiraiya said, going back to peeping.

…

Naruto arrived at Training Ground 27 and noted that it was empty. The field was large, and there was a dense forest surrounding it. He made 20 clones and told them to work on the Asura Path. It was, at the moment, his best option for defeating an enemy. As the clones tried to figure out more abilities that the path held, Jiraiya was suddenly next to Naruto. "Alright, Gaki. I see you've got some clones training with your Rinnegan already. Right now, you should know that I've only really seen the gravitational jutsu in action, but I do have some tips on how to unlock more of them. That's going to wait. For now, sign the contract. You need to use your blood."

"Hai, Jiraiya-sensei!" Jiraiya unfurled the contract; Naruto bit his thumb and wrote his name directly under Minato's. "Yatta! The Bastard's one step behind, now!"

"Okay, since I want you to be prepared for the finals, I'm teaching you the Rasengan immediately. You can work out an agreement with the Toads in two weeks; for now, _don't_ summon any of them." Jiraiya said, tossing Naruto a water balloon.

"What am I supposed to do with this?" Naruto asked.

"Pop it using your chakra. If you need help, I'll be right-" Jiraiya cut himself off, as the balloon popped.

Jiraiya blinked. "What the Hell? How'd you do that?"

"Well, it was easy. The name of the technique is Rasengan, or 'Spiraling Sphere'. So, I assumed I had to rotate my chakra. Lately, I've kinda been able to 'see' chakra flow with my Rinnegan; maybe it's evolving. Anyway, I noticed that when I only sent the flow of chakra in one direction, then it wouldn't pop. I work on chakra control almost every day; even on missions. So, it wasn't hard to increase the flow of chakra in all directions." Naruto spoke.

Jiraiya was speechless. "Form the chakra in your hand, without using a balloon."

Naruto nodded, and instantly, a blue sphere of chakra formed in his hand. "How has no one learned this already? It's easy!" he said, slamming the ball into a nearby tree. "Ooh, I wonder what would happen if I added fuuton chakra to this? Can I try it?"

"Not yet. I've taken note of another jinchurikki in the exams. Sabaku no Gaara, container of the Ichibi. I'd like you to be able to use the Kyuubi's chakra. Do you think you could manage that before we move on to the Toad contract?" Jiraiya said.

Naruto nodded. "I haven't used the Kyuubi's chakra since my encounter with Orochimaru in the Forest of Death. It burns; I'm not sure if I want to use it."

Jiraiya put a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "Naruto. There is a group of S-Ranked missing-nin after the bijuu. They'll probably unseal the Kyuubi from inside of you if they capture you. Do you know what happens to Jinchurikki when they lose their bijuu?"

Naruto said, "I've got some notion. They die, don't they?"

Jiraiya nodded with a grim look. "If they're targeting you for something you can't control, then you might as well use their target against them."

"How do I gain access to the Kyuubi's chakra?"

Jiraiya smiled. "Luckily, I trained the jinchurikki before you. And no, I can't tell you who she was. Not until you make chuunin, at least; so don't fail. Meditate, and you'll come to a 'mindscape' of sorts. The Kyuubi will be there. Convince the Kyuubi to share its chakra with you; I'm sure if it's willing, it'll work better."

Naruto nodded. He got into a meditation position and waited.

…

"Why the Hell's my mind a sewer, dattebayo?" Naruto grumbled, walking along the path. There was no way he was stepping in that water if the smell was any indication of what it held. "And why the Hell is there shit in the pipes? What possessed my mind to be this elaborate on such a disgusting topic?"

" **You can't really complain, ningen,"** came a bored but powerful voice, **"After all, I've been in this forsaken place for thirteen years. Let me see your eyes, child; your real eyes."**

Naruto came up to a cage, where he could see a pair of menacing red eyes. Naruto didn't really need to activate his Rinnegan. He just allowed the Genjutsu to drop. He wouldn't release the Genjutsu in public unless Samui went against her word, and the secret got out.

" **So you really have the Sage's eyes… I haven't been able to trust you ningen for years. But, I've been watching you, Uzumaki Naruto. I don't need to hear your pleas for my help. You'll receive it, but not now. You aren't ready for the kind of power I can bestow. Rest assured, however, that if you're in a bind, you can call out pieces of my chakra at will. If you truly want my full power, then you'll have to defeat me in order to gain it. But as you currently are? That won't happen."**

Naruto stared the Kyuubi down. "So… what kind of name is Kyuubi? Who the Hell named you that?"

The Kyuubi growled, **"That is obviously not my name. I will not tell you my name until you defeat me in combat or earn my absolute respect; whichever comes first. You may leave now. I have nothing more to say to you."**

Naruto nodded. "I'll see you later, then."

As Naruto was about to leave, the Kyuubi said, **"Wait, ningen."**

Naruto turned back his tenant, "What do you need?"

" **Do you not hate me for destroying your village, for killing your parents, for making everyone hate you? There is no way a young ningen like yourself could not hold a grudge over things lesser than the gravity of what I've done to you. So why do you not glare at me?"**

Naruto scowled at him, "And what the Hell will that solve, dattebayo? Will hating you bring everyone their loved ones back, or make everyone stop hating me? I'm an adult now. My childhood is over. There's no turning back the clock. I'll see my parents when I die, and when I become Hokage, everyone will love me, anyway. I won't turn to hate, because it won't fix my problems, or yours. It won't fix anyone's. All we can do is move forward, and fix our own problems." Naruto disappeared.

The Kyuubi closed his eyes. **"You're a better jailer than any Uzumaki before you, Naruto."** His slumber resumed.

…

Naruto opened his eyes to find Jiraiya writing. "Oi, Jiraiya-sensei! I can use the Kyuubi's chakra whenever I want! But he said I must defeat him to use his strongest form. Is that good enough for now?"

Jiraiya put his writing away. "That's fine, Gaki. Your clones have some weird stuff going on over there. Dispel them."

Naruto nodded and dispelled his clones two at a time. He smirked. **"Asura Path: Rasengan!"** Naruto's hand turned mechanical, and in the center, was a purple Rasengan. "Nice. I can make extra appendages now, too. Should we do anything else today, sensei?" Naruto dismissed his jutsu.

"We could get something to eat. Honestly, I thought it would take more than a day to cover all of this. What kind of monster will you be in the future?" Jiraiya said, walking to a restaurant he liked. Naruto followed.

"The good kind, I hope."

…

Sasuke held the new chokuto he'd ordered before the exams began. He was getting taller, and would probably need new clothes soon. He watched Sakura and Kakashi engage in a spar. 'Never thought that she'd make it to this point. I'm definitely excited to see her fight this Samui girl.'

Sasuke had just signed the Dog contract a few hours ago. He'd thought of looking through his family archives for any summoning contracts, but in the end just went with something he knew he could manage. He knew he wouldn't need a combat summon, so the Dogs were perfect. They could attack a weakened opponent.

Sasuke had also decided on incorporating his Raiton affinity into swordsmanship, as he'd seen the Kumo team do. He couldn't stop the smirk that appeared on his face; that was the one advantage that Kumo held over their heads, and he'd taken it away. He wondered how Naruto was faring. Kakashi had told them that he was getting training from a Sannin, and while Sasuke was far from jealous, he was curious about what one of the Legendary Three Ninja of Konoha could teach. He had no idea when he'd see Naruto again; after all, the Sannin could very well take Naruto out of the village until the day of the finals.

Sasuke knew his team was the strongest of the Rookies; maybe even the strongest of all of Konoha's Genin. But he had to be stronger if he was to kill Itachi. After all, Naruto not only had the Rinnegan; he had that vile chakra. Sasuke had seen it with his Sharingan; a separate chakra source was inside of Naruto, and that could send Sasuke far behind his rival.

If Sasuke couldn't beat Naruto, there was no way he'd beat Itachi.

"I'm joining in! Chidori!" Sasuke shouted, rushing at Kakashi. Yeah, he couldn't let Naruto leave him in the dust. Naruto had big dreams, too, and he knew that Naruto wouldn't let them go.

…

"Mui-chan!" Naruto called as he jogged up to Samui, Omoi, and Karui. They all turned to see Naruto, Genjutsu active, grinning at Samui.

"Oh, Ruto-kun. Why do you look so happy?" Samui asked.

"There's no way I'm losing to you guys in the finals. You know that, right? I'm gonna be champion. Although, I'm sure you'll be a close second, Mui-chan." Naruto said.

"Oi, what about us, fishcake?!" Karui shouted with a scowl. Naruto scowled right back.

"What did you call me, tomato head?" They bumped their heads together, growling and throwing insults.

"Enough, you two. So uncool," Samui said.

"You can't fight here! It might spark a war between our villages!" Omoi shouted.

Jiraiya caught up. "Naruto." There was a serious edge in his voice.

Naruto and Karui stopped their bickering.

"A pair of them is here," Jiraiya said. Naruto, who Jiraiya had explained the fact that the Akatsuki worked in pairs to, knew what he meant.

"Do you want to apprehend them?" Naruto asked, all traces of playfulness gone from his voice.

"I'll actually need your help if I want to do this. No one else has a doujutsu that can resist the effects of the Sharingan," Jiraiya said.

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "So, it's Sasuke's brother, then? Who's his partner?"

"Hoshigaki Kisame, the Tailed Beast Without a Tail. I can take Kisame, but you'll have to handle Itachi."

Team Samui was shocked. Samui spoke up, "Jiraiya-sama, we can help if you need it."

Jiraiya shook his head, "This has to be done as quietly as possible. Besides, we can handle these two. C'mon, Naruto." Jiraiya faded using the Meisaigakure no Jutsu.

Naruto turned to Samui. "I'll be fine, Mui-chan, don't you worry," he said with a smile.

Samui cocked an eyebrow. "Who said I was worried?"

Naruto pouted and followed his sensei.

Samui bit her lip. 'Be safe, Ruto-kun.'

…

Jiraiya appeared in front of Itachi and Kisame, who still had their hats on. "Uchiha Itachi; Hoshigaki Kisame; you are both hereby under arrest. Stand down."

Naruto appeared a second later, scowling in their direction. 'So, these are the guys that're after me, dattebayo. That Kisame guy's got monstrous chakra reserves. I shouldn't use the Kyuubi's chakra here. It'll draw too much attention, and then they'll escape. Aah, I've got an idea.' "Sensei, I've got a present for you," Naruto whispered.

"I see you've brought the Nine Tails to us, Jiraiya. How very foolish-" Itachi started, but was cut off by Naruto.

" **Banshou Ten'in!"** Naruto called, yanked Kisame at Jiraiya; Naruto then pumped chakra into his legs and launched himself at Itachi, **"Asura Path: Rasengan!"** Itachi jumped out of the way, but Naruto followed him into the air.

'He has the Rinnegan, so my Genjutsu won't work on him. If we can separate Jiraiya from Naruto, he may be easier to capture.' **"Katon: Gokakyu no Jutsu."** Itachi launched a large fireball at Naruto, who smirked as it collided with his form.

The explosion seemed to engulf Naruto, so Itachi's form was slightly relaxed, while still alert. Suddenly, Naruto came flying upwards through the explosion as Itachi descended. **"Bunshin Daibakuha!"** Naruto shouted, exploding.

Itachi substituted with a nearby log and landed safely on the ground. He spotted Naruto a few meters away. "It seems you have the Rinnegan. How is that possible?"

Naruto cursed, 'Shit! If we don't capture him, the whole world will know!' Naruto charged at Itachi again, hearing something that turned the tide of the battle.

" **Susanoo!"**

…

As Kisame was pulled towards Jiraiya, Jiraiya met him halfway, **"Rasengan!"** The Yondaime's jutsu impacted against Kisame's chest, halting his unwilling advance. Kisame fell to the ground, but kicked back to his feet with a grin.

"Looks like the kid'll be a doozy. Itachi can handle him, though. Meanwhile, I get the Sage." Kisame pulled his odd sword off of his back and unfurled the bandages. "I'm sure you know of Samehada."

Jiraiya narrowed his eyes, knowing just how dangerous Kisame was with that sword. **"Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"** Two small toads appeared on his shoulders. "Ma! Pa! I need you to start gathering natural chakra!"

"Gotcha, Jiraya-chan!"

"Alright, Jiraiya-boy!"

Jiraiya shot forward, delivering a feint kick to Kisame's head. Kisame naturally blocked with Samehada. What Jiraiya _really_ wanted to do was this: **"Katon: Karyuuendan no Jutsu!"** as Jiraiya jumped off of the sword and Kisame brought it back for a swing, the fire dragon erupted from Jiraiya's lips, right into Kisame's stomach, sending him onto his back. Jiraiya came down upon his form with a Rasengan, but Kisame kicked Jiraiya in the face, sending him into the air.

Kisame got back to his feet, smirking at Jiraiya. "That little trick won't work again." Kisame shot forward, Jiraiya following suit. Both stopped, however, as they saw Itachi's orange Susanoo, followed by a yellow one, struggling with each other.

"That kid has the Mangekyou Sharingan?!" Kisame shouted in shock. Jiraiya grinned.

" **Senpo: Rasenrengan!"** Jiraiya shouted, shoving two Rasengans into Kisame's chest and stomach. 'The kid can do it. He can really do it.'

Kisame took a beating for a few moments, as Jiraiya's strength, speed, and senses were heightened due to Sage Mode being active. Soon enough, Itachi was thrown out of his Susanoo by Naruto's yellow one, and he crashed into Jiraiya.

As more shinobi appeared on the scene, Itachi and Kisame disappeared into a flock of crows.

Naruto deactivated his Susanoo, huffing. Jiraiya ran up to him, followed by Hiruzen and a few Anbu.

Naruto grinned. "It looks like my eyes have other hidden talents, dattebayo!"

Jiraiya ruffled his hair, "You did great, gaki. Hiruzen, we're ready to give our reports."

Hiruzen nodded with a smile, looking at Naruto. "Naruto-kun, you helped stopped a potential crisis. I'm tempted to field promote you to chuunin, but from what I saw in the Preliminaries, I'm sure you'd like a chance to face the other chuunin hopefuls. Am I right?"

Naruto aid, "Of course! I really want to fight all of them. They're all really strong!"

"Then you'll get the chance. For now, keep training."


	7. I Compete in the Finals Tournament

**I wanna get out as many chapters as I can before my Microsoft Word expires.**

"Five-thousand, eight-hundred, forty-seven…!" Naruto croaked out from his odd position. He was standing on his left hand, the other tied behind his back, pushing upwards. Sweat caked his face and dripped onto the ground, forming a large mud puddle in the dirt. It waited for him if he fell on accident.

"Naruto, you can stop there. It's time you got the Toad thing out of the way," Jiraiya said.

It had been two weeks since the fight with Itachi and Kisame. Jiraiya took Naruto out of the village immediately to do some hardcore training, mainly with Naruto's Susanoo. Naruto's Susanoo took on the form of a yellow samurai with a long oodachi in his right hand and a shield in his left. He had two other sets of arms, but he had yet to assign anything to them.

Naruto had also learned what the odd chakra rods he could create were: manifestations that were only usable by someone who possessed the Rinnegan. He had yet to delve into the applications of this technique, because the Kyuubi told him that he wouldn't need it anytime soon, and that the paths were something he should concern himself with instead.

Naruto flipped back onto his feet and applied chakra to his bound arm, gaining the strength to release himself from the restraints. His outfit had changed slightly: he now wore a mesh t-shirt under an orange tracksuit with black stripes. His zori were also black now, as was his hitai-ate cloth. "Does that mean I get to learn senjutsu?!" Naruto asked excitedly.

"Not yet. After you become chuunin, and you learn a few more secrets that we must tell you, I'm taking you away from Konoha for three years to train. I'm certain you'll come back an S-Ranked threat." Jiraiya said, making Naruto pout.

"Oh, sensei, my eyes have been hurting. I'm not sure if the Susanoo is the cause or not, but this hasn't happened before." Naruto said.

Jiraiya hummed. "Deactivate the genjutsu around your eyes, and activate your Susanoo."

Naruto did so. Jiraiya looked at Naruto eyes, noticing that the rings had dilated towards the nonexistent pupil, and they were a darker shade of purple. Almost maroon… "Naruto, your eyes are evolving. I'm not sure what the changes will mean, but the color is starting to match the Sharingan slightly. Also, both you and Itachi had the same jutsu, it just looked different. I think that they're related doujutsu."

Naruto's eyes widened, "So, that means that I may be related to Sasuke?"

Jiraiya nodded, although he already knew that the Uzumaki and Uchiha were very distantly related. "After the exams, we'll see if we can unlock any more paths. Maybe if you unlock all of them, your eyes will evolve fully. How many do you have, again?"

"Deva Path, Asura Path, and one technique for the Outer Path," Naruto said.

"Well, from what we know of the Sage's title, there are six paths, right? You're halfway there." Jiraiya encouraged. "Now, I'd like to get this out of the way. You may be wondering why I have all of this food here. You'll figure it out soon enough. **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**!"

In an abundant puff of smoke, a _very_ large toad appeared under their feet. "Sugoi~! I can summon toads like _this_?!" Naruto shouted.

"Huh? Jiraiya, who's the gaki?" the toad asked.

"Gamabunta, this is your newest summoner, Uzumaki Naruto!" Jiraiya said.

Gamabunta's eyes widened. 'So, he's Minato's brat…' "Well, how am I supposed to know that you're good enough to be my summoner, huh? Can you even stay on my head during a battle?"

Naruto snorted. "What kind of idiot do you take me for? OF course I can stand on your head!"

"Then prove it! Stay on my head until the sun sets, and I'll accept you as my summoner."

"Bring it on!" Bunta started jumping high, while Naruto stood stock still, eyes shining with resolve, arms folded across his chest. The hours crawled by, with Bunta jumping and jumping; by this point, Naruto and Jiraiya were sitting down, enjoying sandwiches. "Gamabunta, are you hungry?" Naruto asked.

Gamabunta stopped jumping for a moment. "Yeah."

Naruto tossed a few sandwiches into the air, "Here ya go!"

Gamabunta jumped and caught them with his tongue, "You ain't half bad, kid!" he resumed his jumping.

Naruto grinned. "Thanks!"

Soon, the sun climbed down from the sky, and Gamabunta stopped hopping. "Well, kid, I'm impressed. You used chakra to stick to my head for an entire six hours. What are you, a chuunin?"

"Chuunin hopeful," Naruto grinned.

"Well, I'm sure you'll make chuunin, whenever the exams are. You passed my test, and you thought about me while I was giving it to you, so you doubly pass. You're our newest summoner. Congrats. Wanna drink to it?" Gamabunta asked.

"I'm fine, thank you." Naruto and Jiraiya hopped off of Bunta's head.

"Well, Bunta, I've gotta get Naruto back to Konoha. We'll catch up soon, I promise." Jiraiya said with a smile.

Bunta waved him off. "Yeah, well, I've got business to take care of, as well, so you two have fun. Ta-ta now." Bunta disappeared back to his summon realm.

"Whoo… I'm beat! Let's head back now!" Naruto said, walking off. Jiraiya looked up at the sky.

'Minato… look at where he is now. Though, you're probably surprised at the differences in your eyes…' Jiraiya thought, before turning and catching up to Naruto.

…

The day of the finals was here. Naruto had spent the morning meditating about some new information he had heard. Jiraiya had told him that the Sand and Sound villages had prepared to invade Konoha during the exams. Naturally, Kakashi, Sasuke, and Sakura knew this as well. So, they had to hold back to stay fresh for the real fight, but still do good enough to pass.

Sasuke hadn't been told that Itachi came back to the village. It might've caused him to act unprofessionally, or distract him when the time comes to protect the village. His reason for returning was a need-to-know basis anyway, so this wasn't much of a problem.

Naruto had only seen Sasuke one time since coming back to the village, and the only thing Sasuke said to him was this:

" _You aren't leaving me behind, dobe."_

Naruto wasn't sure, but he felt as if that sword that Sasuke was carrying was a real threat. If he was anything like Samui, Karui, and Omoi, then Naruto'd have a problem on his hands.

Naruto wondered how Sakura would fare against Samui. From what he'd seen, Samui was just as analytical as Sakura, only more powerful. He didn't know if Samui did any training in the one-month period, but Sakura definitely had. He wanted to see it in action.

Naruto stood up. Regardless of how the actual exams played out, Naruto had been assigned a mission: detain the Ichibi. He would not falter in the face of the weakest of the bijuu when he held the strongest. But, Naruto couldn't just let a fellow jinchurikki suffer. There was a reason Gaara acted the way he did, and Naruto would make sure he did all he could to help Gaara.

But if that failed, Gaara would die today.

Jiraiya had been tasked with protecting Hiruzen, so nothing could go wrong there. Still, Naruto had requested that he be able to leave a clone by the Hokage's side in the event that his help was necessary. Jiraiya should've been able to handle Orochimaru by himself, however.

Naruto walked out of his apartment and hit the rooftops.

…

He arrived in the middle of the large arena to see that besides Sasuke, everyone was there. "Naruto-kun!" Sakura squealed, rushing him with a hug.

"H-hey, Sakura-chan! It's been too long! How've ya been?" Naruto said, returning the hug.

Sakura pulled away. She wore pink shorts and a red t-shirt now. "I think I have a pretty good chance of beating Samui. There's no way we aren't making chuunin; you know that, right?"

Naruto grinned. "Of course. And in a few years, after I come back to the village, we'll be jounin!"

Sakura's smile faltered slightly. 'Right. I forgot, I won't see him for three years.' "You know, if you're gone too long, I'll have passed you!"

"Heh. I hope so, Sakura-chan!" Naruto studied the other competitors. 'Most people here won't be a problem. The first round is a guaranteed win for me; taijutsu users are no match for my ninjutsu. Shikamaru, Misumi, Temari, and Shino won't be able to touch me, either. I was worried about Gaara before, but I should be fast enough to counter his sand, and if my base speed fails, there's always my Rinnegan as a backup…. Hmm, the only ones I really have to worry about are Mui-chan, Sakura-chan, the Bastard, Tomato Head, and Omoi. I'll make chuunin for sure, dattebayo!'

For some reason, there was a new host for the exams. This wouldn't be weird if this was a different section of the exams, but technically it was still the third, so Hayate should still be the proctor. 'I wonder where he is?' Naruto pondered.

The new proctor called for attention. "Hello, everyone. My name is Shiranui Genma, and I am the proctor for the Third Exam. The rules are as follows: Killing is allowed only by a technicality, and is frowned upon. Once I say a match is over and declare a winner, that's that. If you are deemed unable to fight, you lose the match. Leaving the arena is grounds for disqualification. Interference by another contestant is grounds for disqualification for both parties. Additionally, you need not win the tournament, or even your first match for that matter, to be promoted. You need only show skills befitting of the rank Chuunin. This means that all of you could be promoted, some of you could, or even none. If everyone understands this, we can begin. Will Uzumaki Naruto and Hyuuga Neji stay here, while the other candidates wait to be called on in the booth?"

"Good luck, Naruto-kun," Sakura said, walking back to the seats. Naruto turned to look at Neji.

"Fate has decreed the victor of this match, Uzumaki Naruto. I would resign if I were you." Neji spoke condescendingly.

Naruto took off his track jacket, leaving only his mesh shirt to cover his torso. "I don't want to hear it. Let's just fight, already."

"First Match: Uzumaki Naruto vs. Hyuuga Neji. Hajime!"

Neji charged forward at chuunin speeds, not knowing that Naruto had been training with an S-Ranked threat for the past month. Naruto held his right hand out, charged a purple Rasengan, and pumped chakra into his legs, blasting forward, **"Asura Path: Rasengan!"**

Neji's eyes widened at Naruto's speed; he pulled back and began spinning. **"Hakeshou Kaiten!"** The rotating spheres collided, making a loud boom and sending Naruto flying.

Naruto landed on his feet to see his arm was busted, and wires hung loosely from his wrist. "Shit. And I thought this was going to be easy." Naruto ejected the remainder of his arm and regrew it. "Luckily, I was using the Asura Path, or I wouldn't have gotten my arm back so quickly."

…

Hiruzen sat in the VIP booth with the Raikage and Kazekage. The Raikage spoke, "Hokage-dono, isn't that the Yondaime Hokage's jutsu?"

Hiruzen smiled, "Yes, that boy is a student of Jiraiya."

The 'Kazekage' smirked. "It seems as if Konoha has another prodigy besides the Uchiha. It's a shame they won't face each other, since my son will defeat Sasuke in the next fight."

Hiruzen chuckled, "Oh, I wouldn't count on it. Sasuke received training from Sharingan no Kakashi. They'll be here any minute, I'm sure."

The Kazekage's eyes became snake-like, 'Your eyes interest me more than Sasuke-kun's, Naruto-kun. However, I can't risk your body due to the Kyuubi's presence. You'll make an excellent servant, anyhow. Kukukuku…'

…

Neji looked at Naruto with narrowed eyes. 'That jutsu was an offensive version of the Kaiten. Also, he regenerated his arm. What was with the mechanical parts? Is he not entirely human? Is it a kekkei genkai?' "You will not emerge victorious here, Uzumaki. Grow new limbs all you like. I am the superior opponent."

Naruto laughed. "I have quite a few different ways to beat you; I just haven't decided on one yet." Naruto thought for a moment. "Oh, I know… **Kage Bunshin no Jutsu**!" Two Narutos came into existence and began running towards Neji's 3 and 9 o'clocks. Naruto held out his hands and called, without any handseals, **"Fuuton: Daitoppa!"** A great wind pushed Neji into the air; the clones were behind him at this point.

" **Asura Path: Kage Bunshin Rasenrengan!"** Both clones shoved a purple Rasengan each into Neji's back, sending him flying back towards Naruto.

'Im-impossible… he knows so many jutsu!' Neji thought.

'Hmm… he's not unconscious yet, even though he took two of them head on. Oh, this should finish him.' **"Asura Path!"** Naruto launched his fist off of his arm like a missile, and it impacted against Neji's stomach, sending him back into the air. The clones latched onto Neji's almost unconscious form.

" **Bunshin Daibakuha!"** An explosion went off in the air, and Neji fell to the ground with a thud, covered in burns and blood. Naruto's arm returned to its spot.

After a check to make sure Neji wasn't dead, Genma said, "Winner: Uzumaki Naruto!"

It took a moment, but the stadium erupted into cheers. Naruto's smile was truer at that moment than it had ever been. 'They acknowledged me… I knew the day would come!" Naruto ration: shunshined back to the contestant box.

"You were great, Naruto-kun!" Sakura gave Naruto a high-five.

"What did you expect from the future Hokage? Also, where's Sasuke? It's his turn to fight!" Naruto said.

Sakura began chewing her lip. "Kakashi-sensei wanted to get some last-minute training in, because he had a feeling that Gaara is the strongest among us. Well, I'm not sure if he can beat _you_ , or even Sasuke, but Kakashi-sensei had another jutsu he wanted to teach Sasuke. It's apparently from the uchiha archives, and so far, Sasuke can only use it once. It's pretty scary; I'm not sure if you can do anything to counter it."

The grin on Naruto's face was battle-hungry. 'So, Sasuke's taking this more seriously than I thought. If you can't beat Gaara, Sasuke, then you have no right to be my rival.' Naruto made a clone and dispelled it.

"Huh? Why'd you do that?" Sakura asked.

"I needed to relay a message to Jiji, so he could postpone Sasuke's match. _This way, we can still tire Gaara out before the Invasion starts, because if he doesn't get to fight anyone, he'll be tougher to beat._ I really want to fight Sasuke, and I can't do that if he gets disqualified." Naruto said, whispering halfway through.

"Ahh, I see. Good idea," Sakura said.

Shikamaru walked over to Naruto, "Hey, Naruto, have you noticed?"

Naruto looked at Shikamaru, not knowing what he meant. Shikamaru explained, "There sure are a lot of ANBU Black Ops scattered throughout the bleachers. I figured that you'd know more about it, since you have a clone near the Hokage."

Naruto had a lie planned for this already, "Oh, I'm not sure about the ANBU, but the reason my clone is near the Hokage is because I asked to be a faux judge. The Kages are asking for my opinion of the fighters as long as I remain a participant. Since I want to be Hokage, Jiji has been showing me various things that Kages have to do, so I can be sure if I really want to go down this path. It's been fun so far, dattebayo!"

Shikamaru's facial expression didn't lose its obvious suspicion. "So troublesome…. Alright, if that's all you know, I'll just wait for the next fight."

…

"Hokage-dono, how would you rate the Uchiha, anyway?" the Kazekage asked.

Hiruzen smirked inwardly. 'Don't get too eager, Orochimaru.' "Well, I'd say he is already high-Chuunin in terms of skill. His mastery over Raiton, from what Kakashi tells me, is prodigal. He's also picking up kenjutsu." Just then, Naruto's clone relayed the message

Hiruzen stood up and laced his vocal chords with chakra, expanding his voice, **"The bout between Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara has been postponed until the end of the round. If Uchiha Sasuke does not show before then, he will be disqualified. That is all."** Hiruzen sat back down.

"Thank you for allowing my son the chance to do battle with the Uchiha, Hokage-dono," the Kazekage said.

Hiruzen smiled. "Well, the entire reason this crowd is here is for that battle. Who am I to deny them?"

…

"Would Samui of Kumo and Haruno Sakura please join me?" Genma asked.

Sakura had a strange look on her face- anxiety mixed with conviction. Naruto rubbed circles into the small of her back. "Sakura-chan, I believe in you. I want you to go down there and prove that you're a strong, proud kunoichi of the Village hidden in the Leaves."

Sakura smirked and made as if she was about to hop over the railing. She turned to Naruto. "This is for you, Naruto-kun." Then she jumped.

Naruto walked over to the railing and impatiently tapped his foot. 'This is annoying, dattebayo. On one hand, I want my teammate Sakura-chan to win. On the other, I really want to fight Mui-chan. Aaaah, I won't be totally happy either way!'

…

Samui rose an eyebrow at Sakura. "You seem to have some sort of vendetta against me. I've never really spoken to you before, so why is that?"

Sakura stopped the scowl she hadn't even known she had sent towards her opponent. "I just want to win. Really, really badly." 'If I win here, Naruto-kun will definitely see that I'm better than her! Heh. And why shouldn't he? I'm fabulous!'

Samui unsheathed her tanto, charging it with ration chakra. "I won't go down easily, you know? I'm the strongest member of my team, and you're the weakest of yours. No offense, of course."

The scowl returned to Sakura's face, before quickly being replace by a sardonic smile. "Well, if I'm the weakest, and you're the strongest, this battle will show something about the strength of our villages, won't it?"

A small smile creeped its way onto Samui's face. "I hope your bite is as big as your bark."

"Haruno Sakura vs. Samui of Kumo: Hajime!"

Samui charged at Sakura at a breakneck pace, swinging her sword with her right hand in vertical arc.

But it was blocked.

Sakura held a kunai in her palm.

And it was laced with Katon chakra.

Samui was surprised enough that Sakura could force her back. Sakura then lengthened the blade and engaged Samui in a frantic dance of death. Sparks of red and blue flew everywhere, and both women were sweating profusely. There was no room for error on either party's front, as any small slip-up could end the match, and even their lives.

…

"Naruto, what's happening? How can Sakura keep up with her?" Ino asked in jealous shock.

Naruto glanced at her, then back at the match. "She trained. Hard. Anyone can do it if they really want to. If you can't match them, I guess you don't really want to be a kunoichi, then."

Ino growled, but looked away. 'He's right. At this rate, Sakura will get Sasuke-kun before me!'

Naruto turned his attention away from the match for a moment, taking note of a multitude of Suna and Oto shinobi in the crowd. He made another Kage Bunshin and dispelled it, so the placement could be noted by Hiruzen.

…

Sakura had managed to press Samui into defensive maneuvers, where there was no room to breathe. 'So uncool…. Guess I'll have to start using some mid-range ninjutsu.' **"Raiton: Jibashi!"** Sakura rolled out of the way of the lightning bolt, but the jutsu had fulfilled its purpose: to get Samui some much-needed space.

Samui went in for the kill, but suddenly, an elbow caught her in the back of her head. Sakura shimmered out of existence.

As Samui gained her bearings, she cursed. 'Genjutsu…'

Sakura smirked, "Magen: Kokoni Arazu no Jutsu. I've got plenty more where that came from."

Samui gave a cheap grin. "Alright, I see you as a dangerous opponent. So I hope you don't mind me going all out. **Ranton: Reiza Sakasu**!" A beam-like wave of lightning flashed towards Sakura, who narrowly dodged. Then, Samui started firing smaller, more compressed beams at her opponent, who could only just barely keep up.

…

In the stands, Naruto chewed his lip. "I didn't know she had a bloodline… but that kekkei genkai is supposed to be extinct."

Shikamaru looked at Naruto. "You seem to know an awful lot about things, Naruto. So, let me ask you this: why are there Sound and Sand shinobi moving around in the stands?"

Naruto gave Shikamaru an annoyed look. "Stop asking questions. You'll live longer."

…

'Damn it,' Sakura thought, frantically dodging the laser beams. 'How can she have enough chakra to do this?!' Sakura charged a kunai with Katon chakra and shunshined through the blasts, coming at Samui's throat. Suiddenly, Samui's body was covered in black chakra, small black lightning sparks cackling in the air surrounding her. She disappeared….

...And Sakura was on the floor, out cold.

Samui came back into view with her fist outstretched, and the aura still surrounding her. " **Kuro Rai no Yoroi**. An A-Ranked Jutsu, only known by two people. I'm still a little new at it, but it gets the job done. Proctor, call the match." The aura dissipated.

"Winner of the second match: Samui of Kumo! Medics!"

…

"Tomato Head. Did you know she could do that?" Naruto asked Karui. "I mean, that's an intense variation of the Raikage's jutsu. And on top of that, she has Ranton."

While Karui scowled at the nickname, she did answer. "Our entire team knows some variation of Black Lightning. What mine and Omoi's are, you'll have to wait and see."

Samui joined the contestants. "Ruto-kun, I apologize about being so brutal towards your teammate, but she was a tough opponent. Rather cool, I'd say."

Naruto nodded, barely worried for Sakura's safety. "She should be fine, though. I mean, I've done worse to her in a spar before… Though, I am glad that you passed; that means I'll get to fight you, dattebayo."

Samui smiled at him, then turned to her teammates. "You'll need to pass. I won't leave you behind."

Karui and Omoi threw her a couple of sideways smirks. "Don't doubt us when we're this close." Karui said.

…

 **[A/N: Don't think anyone cares to see Temari or Shikamaru fight, so I'll skip to Omoi's fight. Ja ne!]**

"Will Omoi of Kumo and Aburame Shino please enter the arena?" Genma said.

Once Omoi and Shino were facing each other, Genma called the match. Omoi held out his hand. **"Raiton: Kaminaridama."** A ball of lightning arced towards Shino.

'Hmm… I can't just dissipate into bugs, since the air around the ball is electrified. I'll have to actually dodge.' Shino ducked to the side, throwing a few shuriken and subtly releasing his kikaichuu into the air. He'd already given them orders.

"Oh, no you don't! **Raiton: Gian!** " Omoi destroyed the bugs convergeing on him, which were attempting to drain his chakra. Then Omoi rushed forward, blade charged with Raiton chakra, and thrusted deep into Shino's chest. Shino managed to shunshin away using his bugs, but some died from the electricity.

Omoi began furiously slashing at Shino, who couldn't counter. Shino then slipped into Omoi's guard- a major feat for someone with a significantly smaller reach- and delivered a haymaker. Omoi stumbled back, spat blood, and continued his assault. Shino proved to be rather nimble, as well as clever, dodging when he could and using substitutions when he couldn't. This pattern of battle continued for a lengthy seven minutes. 'He'll slip up at some point…' Omoi said.

He was right.

Shino had expected Omoi to slash downwards with one hand. He _hadn't_ , however, expected the black lightning-infused punch that came straight into his Solar Plexus. In extreme pain, Shino crumpled to the ground. Omoi pointed his blade at Shino's throat. "I- I yield." Shino wheezed.

"Winner of the third match: Omoi of Kumo!"


	8. Things Aren't As Simple As I've Believed

**I don't plan on abandoning this story, though I may rewrite it at some point. There are a few rookie mistakes thrown about in there all over the place. Also, for the people 'critiquing' my take on the Rinnegan… I'll admit that I've taken liberties, but it's a damn sure bet that Naruto, having Senju blood, would be able to utilize the Rinnegan rather well on his first try. This particular Doujutsu removes all the drawbacks of the original Sharingan. I know a LOT about Naruto theory, so don't worry about those things. It'll all come together in the end.**

Jiraiya was a little worried. No, scratch that. He was _intensely_ worried. They had taken every precaution against Orochimaru. Jiraiya was right there in the Kage box with Hiruzen. Kakashi was aware of the issue. Naruto had his mission with Gaara, which should be simple. Orochimaru should've held no leverage in theory.

But that was the issue in its entirety.

Orochimaru, being the personification of a snake, should have pulled out of this farce long ago. But he was still here. As long as that was the case, there was no way that Jiraiya could stop being on edge. Orochimaru was also the strongest Sannin and may have even been stronger than Hiruzen at this point. No, there was no doubt about that fact. Orochimaru _was_ the strongest.

Even so, what could be done?

Naruto bit his nail lightly. So Shino was stronger than he expected. It seemed as if there were more than a few unexpected surprises within the Kumo group. Omoi reentered the stands and high-fived Karui. Samui smiled lightly. "You did great, Omoi. That was really cool."

Omoi eyed Naruto warily. "Yo-you aren't going to get angry with me for defeating your friend and try to fight me, are you? Because that could start an international incident that could spark a war spanning the continent. And it could be so monumental that even Tetsu no Kuni could be drawn into it, which might mark the reign of missing-nin like the ones we ran into the other day!"

Naruto facepalmed.

Everyone turned to Naruto for an explanation. Naruto glared at Omoi. "That was an _S-ranked secret_. _Why_ would you say that, dattebayo?!"

"Shouldn't we at least get an explanation?" Shikamaru asked with a lazy cock of his eyebrow. "It's troublesome, but we might need to know something about it in the future. How did _you_ of all people run into them?"

Naruto knew it wasn't in his best interests to reveal what he knew. If he told them about either Kisame or Itachi, they'd demand to know their business in Konoha. Some of the more perceptive genin could link Itachi to Sasuke, and Sasuke would eventually find out. Beyond that, he couldn't actually reveal any details about the Akatsuki, due to how rumors spread. There may even be spies among the group.

"I'll leave it at this: _S. Ranked. Secret._ Don't bother pegging the Kumo genin for answers, either. It'd look bad on their Kage, wouldn't it?" Naruto gave a pointed glare to Omoi, who rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Anyway, Tomato Head, isn't it time for your match?"

"I'd watch it if I were you, Fishcake-chan," Karui growled. "But, yeah, it is my turn."

"Will Karui of Kumo and Tsurugi Misumi please enter the stage?" came Genma's voice. Omoi and Samui clasped karui's back. They shared a knowing look.

"We've come this far," Samui said seriously "It wouldn't be cool to lose here."

"Yeah, Karui! You've got this! I want to face your whole team if I can, dattebayo!" Naruto encouraged. Karui smirked at the three and hopped over the edge.

Naruto grit his teeth in worry. 'The bastard and Sensei aren't here yet. What could he possibly be learning? And will he even be able to fight after it? I _have_ to see that new jutsu 'ttebayo. And if anyone deserves a shot at being a Chunin, it's Sasuke.'

"Karui of Kumo vs. Tsurugi Misumi. Hajime!"

Karui clutched her blade with a wicked grin upon her face. "How do you want it? High or low?"

Misumi scowled. "You think you're better than me, you brat?! I'll show you!" He rushed forward in what seemed like reckless abandon. Karui slashed her sword at his neck, but he bent at an impossible angle and elongated his arms, wrapping them around Karui and squeezing.

"This fight is already over 'ttebayo…" Naruto muttered, causing Shikamaru to look at him with a raised eyebrow.

'What happened to the dead-last we've seen before? Troublesome…' Shikamaru looked over at Samui and Omoi. "Your opinions?"

"You're not really supposed to touch Karui with any bare part of your body in a fight…" Omoi muttered. "You'll see."

Karui's body lit up with black sparks. Misumi was blasted forward with a cry of pain. Looking at Karui, you could see that her eyes were completely black, and she was covered in black sparks. It didn't look like much of a change, but when Misumi staggered to his feet…

Karui disappeared.

"Winner of the fourth match: Karui of Kumo!"

Naruto's eyes narrowed. He ignored the sharp pulse of pain in his temples and focused on Karui. "That move… it was like… a Shunshin? But… faster 'ttebayo. And also kind of like what happens when a Raiton: Kage Bunshin explodes. Just… constant. Sugoi…! You guys are really strong, Mui-chan!"

Samui turned to Naruto. "You deduced that just from watching her activate her **Meian Chakura Modou**? How?"

'Dark Light Chakra Mode, huh? Raiton techniques are sounding better and better lately…' Naruto thought to himself. Then he answered Samui's question. "I could literally tell just by looking at her activate her jutsu. It isn't that difficult if you know what to look for, dattebayo."

'So, he's improved…' Shikamaru thought rapidly. 'He's getting into fights with missing-nin. He knows S-ranked secrets… He's being groomed as Hokage, as well. But why? It can't just be because he wants to be Hokage. There are better choices, especially since with him they'd've had to start from scratch. Uzumaki… I'll have to do some research on that name. That's as much as I can do for now. Troublesome…'

"Uchiha Sasuke and Sabaku no Gaara, please enter the arena," Genma said lazily. Gaara appeared quickly. Genma waited five seconds. "If Uchiha Sasuke doesn't appear within five minutes, he is automatically disqualified without appeal." This of course lead to boos and jeers from the crowd. 'Dumb civilians… From what I can tell, that Uzumaki brat should be stronger than the Uchiha.' Genma looked at Hiruzen. 'Your call, Hokage-sama.'

"Hokage-dono, maybe we should wait a while yet for the Uchiha to arrive?" Orochimaru prodded. "I'd surely like to see my son against the so-called strongest rookie Genin of Konoha."

Hiruzen blew smoke out of his pipe. "The Uchiha may be a member of a founding clan, but if he's picked up his sensei's habits, then I can't say I'd want him as a Chuunin under my command. Not yet, at least. Not until he's had more training. That being said…" Hiruzen stood to call the match off. As soon as he did, Kakashi and Sasuke appeared in the arena. "Hm. I guess you'll get your wish, Kazekage-dono."

Kakashi patted Sasuke's shoulder.

"Show them what I've taught you, Sasuke. I've got to catch up with Naruto."

Sasuke gave his sensei a curt nod, focusing his attention on Gaara as the scarecrow-reminiscent man left the arena in a shunshin. "Gaara… you're the one I want to fight right before Naruto. So let's not waste any time here, got it?"

Gaara grinned eerily, his sand leaking out. "I'm sure you'll feel differently once my sand uses you to prove my existence."

"Final match of the first round: hajime!"

Gaara's sand shot forward towards Sasuke, who didn't bother to unsheathe his blade just yet. Instead, he dashed to the side, completely avoiding the first strike, and sped forward towards Gaara's three o'clock. The Chuunin-hopeful brandished a kunai as he approached.

"Ohayou, Kaka-sensei!" Naruto greeted as Kakashi stood in front of him, of course reading his porn. "What can you tell me about the training you an' Sasuke've been doing? Huh? What's this about a jutsu he learned 'ttebayo?"

Kakashi flipped a page. "Maa, maa, Naruto. He's saving it for you. I personally recommend you not tread lightly when dealing with him, though. I don't know exactly how well Jiraiya-sama trained you, but I wouldn't be surprised if Sasuke could give you a run for your money. Have _you_ learned anything knew?"

Naruto grinned stupidly. "I'm a decent fighter, though I've admittedly had a few ass-pulls with my more recent encounters 'ttebayo. I still need more training. Have any updates for me?"

"Just keep your eye on the prize. You want to be Chuunin, right? Today's your chance."

Sasuke came at Gaara's 3 o'clock with his Kurai poised, but the sand stopped him cold. Sasuke backpedalled as a precaution against Gaara's certain-kill Kurai, Sand Waterfall Coffin. His Sharingan studied the sand without words.

'That sand is fast, I'll admit. But it isn't fast enough, and I can slow it down. Water is out of the question. I could easily pierce the barriers he can erect with a chidori if I wished, but that would leave me wide open to his manual attacks. Katon ninjutsu it is…"

Sasuke began to rapidly fire through hand seals while dodging around Gaara's sand, not even stopping after thirty.

"For a Genin to go through so many signs for a single jutsu's is unheard of," the Kazekage mused. "It seems that more than just Hatake's anti punctual habits have rubbed off on the last Uchiha. Gaara may sweat a little."

Hiruzen chuckled. "The Uchiha clan is one of the world's most feared clans for good reason. And Sasuke is every bit as prodigious as his brother before him."

Orochimaru's eyes sparkled with glee. 'You truly are fascinating, Sasuke-kun. It won't be long now…'

Sasuke smirked lightly as he landed on the monkey seal. "All this training… it was worth it. **Katon: Gouka Meshitsu**!" He took a deep breath and expelled a condensed cone of flame at Gaara. Gaara pulled up most of his sand in order to block, but it was no use. The fire burned directly through the admittedly thick clump of brown dust, hitting Gaara's body and causing him to let out a horrible shriek.

Sasuke unsheathed a kunai and went to make his opponent yield, but Gaara's sand covered him in a sphere. Sasuke blinked and took a step back. Behind the sand dome, Gaara could be heard screaming, "It burns! You **burned me, you burned** me! It **hurts**!" Sasuke twirled his kunai in anticipation.

Naruto watched Gaara intensely. 'He's losing control of his bijuu... I don't think Sasuke can stop a tailed beast, which is why I don't bring it into consideration when comparing myself to him.' Naruto turned to Kakashi. "Should we do something about that? Isn't it against the rules or something, dattebayo?"

Kakashi waved an arm. "Maa, Naruto, there's no rule against it. Otherwise you wouldn't be in the Exams, either. I think Sasuke can handle it for the most part, either way."

The Kumo team looked at them, then at Gaara. "So you have a burden like that, Ruto-kun? —I don't have a problem with it, I'm just curious," Samui said. Naruto nodded with a grimace.

"No one's supposed to know, but I guess the cat's out of the bag for a reason anyways. Let's see how this this fight plays out…"

Feathers began falling from the sky.

 **I know this chapter's short and with how long it took to update there's no excuse. I AM still writing it, though, so there's that. Merry belated Christmas!**

Edit: Fixed a continuity error. My bad.


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